In the last year, Guila Benchimol, PhD candidate in Sociology at the University of Guelph and Research Assistant at the Centre for the Study of Social and Legal Responses to Violence, has published seven op-eds in various publications including the Huffington Post. Benchimol’s research focuses on crimes committed in religious and insular communities and on sexual violence. After noticing an increase in news stories related to these research areas, Benchimol wanted to add her voice and contribute to the conversation. Her articles have centered around how religious communities, such as Jewish and Muslim communities, can better respond and prevent sexual abuse and assault, how to understand survivors’ testimonies and bystander intervention, and on the techniques of neutralization that are used to silence or ignore survivors of sexual violence when they come forward about their victimization (such as those used by then candidate Donald Trump). Benchimol hopes that her research and articles can shed light on the important issues involved in sexual violence that are currently being highlighted and discussed across the globe. She is also working with religious institutions in Canada and the U.S. by assisting them in creating abuse prevention and intervention policies and by training religious leaders and their staff.
