The first Slutwalk events to be organized in Iceland were held in Reykjavík, Akureyri, Ísafjördur and Reykjanesbær; the purpose of the SlutWalk is to protest the prejudice against victims of sex offenders and how an emphasis is often placed on the victims’ clothing, behavior, and the state they are in when assaulted.
From Laugavegur. Photo by Bernhild vögel.
The SlutWalk was initiated in response to a comment made by a Toronto police officer in which he said women could avoid being raped if they didn’t dress like sluts; a similar comment was made by Iceland’s chief of Iceland’s Sex Crimes Unit, Björgvin Björgvinsson, last year for which he later apologized, mbl.is reported last year.
In Reykjavík participants walked down Skólavördustígur on a sunny yet windy day.
Participants in the SlutWalk numbered4 to 50 in Ísafjördur and Akureyri but fewer in Reykjanesbær,whereas somewhere between one to two thousand participated in the SlutWalk in Reykjavík. Anna Jóna Heimisdóttir, one of the organizers told ruv.is the event will probably be repeated next year.
JB
