'SlutWalk' Comes To Berlin

Thousands of scantily clad demonstrators took to the streets of Berlin this past weekend to protest the treatment of victims of sexual violence.

SlutWalk Berlin was the latest in a series of global protests criticizing the belittlement of rape and the practice of placing blame on the victim rather than the abuser.

The SlutWalk movement was triggered by a remark made by Canadian Constable, Michael Sanguinetti, of the Toronto police service. During a crime prevention seminar in January, Sanguinetti said that women should avoid "dressing like sluts" if they do not want to become victims of sexual crime. He later apologized for his remarks.

Demonstrators of all sexual orientations and genders, some wearing little more than a bit of strategically placed gaffer tape, chanted the now well-known refrain that carries the central message of the SlutWalk movement.

"However we dress, wherever we go, Yes means Yes, and No means No."

Many waved placards declaring such sentiments as, "My naked body is not an invitation" or like, Christine Nielinger from Bonn, "Consent before sex."

"This sign spoke to me the most," Nielinger says. "It's a very accessible message that's very important to me because I've experienced two rapes," Nielinger says, who is in her early 20s.

Nielinger was raped by a former girlfriend. She felt it was important to come to SlutWalk to highlight that, while rape and sexual abuse are crimes committed "predominantly by men," it is possible for women to be perpetrators too.

Nielinger did not report the crime to the police and only broke her silence three years after the event when she told a therapist and her mother.

"I just pushed it down...I was ashamed because I didn't think a woman could do this to another woman because you only ever hear of rape perpetrated by men. It's not present in the media or spoken about. I would like to see the problem highlighted more in society," she says.

Kate Cahoon, a representative of the women's rights organization, "Terres des Femmes," is enthusiastic that the protests will "gain attention for the topic of sexual violence."

Members of the organization attended SlutWalk to show support for the victims of sexual violence, but Cahoon, an Australian living in Berlin, is in some ways critical of the event.

"The main messages of the event are obviously important, but they've been around for a long time, and the fact that people are taking to the streets in their hundreds suddenly because it's got a sexy name and a sexy message associated with it, I find that a bit problematic. In saying that, I think it's good that the message is getting out there and that more people are attracted to the cause than before."

SlutWalk organizers say they're not only taking a stand against sexism, but also against "racism, homo and queerphobia and classicism."

Thorsten Albrecht, 37, from Berlin, attended the demonstration because of the verbal and physical abuse he's experienced because of his attire and sexual orientation.

"I'm here because I'm gay and a transvestite and have been the victim of verbal and physical abuse because of the way I dress, even in Berlin," Albrecht says.

"I'm really glad to take part in a protest that defends people's rights to dress in what they want and to be gay or straight or transgender or whatever without being the victims of discrimination. Hopefully, it [the SlutWalk movement] will help to change people's attitudes."

***UPDATE: For more photos of "SlutWalk Berlin 2011, visit 104,1's Facebook page.