Osheaga incident highlights sexual assault problem at festivals

Project Soundcheck agroup that trains staff and volunteers at music festivalson how to preventsexual assaults says an incident at Osheagalastweekend shows there's work to be done.

A festival goer at the Montreal rock event, Melanie Doucet,told CBC that someone slipped a drug in her drink Friday nightandwhen she reported what happened tosecurity crews, she was brushed off.

• Osheagaattendee claims she was drugged and no one helped

"It sounds like, unfortunately, those staff people just like many people don't understand the issues surrounding sexual violence," Kira-LynnFerderber, a trainer with the Ottawa-based group, told CBC in an interview.

Woman claims she was drugged at Osheaga and no one helped

8 years ago

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Melanie Doucet says when she reported that she was drugged to security crews at the festival, she was brushed off.

Festivals need tobe proactive

Ferderbersaid Project Soundcheck started after a researcher at an Ottawa Hospital found that 25 per cent of sexual assaults reported at the hospitalover the course of a year happened at large public events, such as music festivals.

Her group has partnered with several event organizersin Ottawa, such as the Bluesfest and Ottawa Pride, to train volunteers and staff on how to help preventsexual assault.

Ferderber said volunteers have to take preventive action,patrolling the site and looking for people who appear to be in distress.

"You can walk up to somebody and say, 'Are you ok?How are you doing?Do you need help?'"

She said security checks as people leave the festival can also weed out potential problems.

Festivals have a responsibility to be proactive and try to prevent sexual assaults before they happen, Ferderber said.

"You don't hold a big event without a fire safety plan, without your bartenders having rules about who to serve, without a plan in case there's an electrical storm,"Ferderber said.

"This needs to be part of their safety planning."

Ferderbersaid the festivals her group has worked with in Ottawa have been extremely receptive to the participation of ProjectSoundcheck. But she said some festivals still don't seem to get it.

"Unfortunately, festivals sometimes feel that addressing this maybe would be a detriment to their bottom line," Ferderbersaid.

Osheagapromoter says it 'takes all necessary measures'

Evenko, the concert promotion company that runsOsheaga, refused to beinterviewed byCBC about the incident involvingDoucet.

Initially, Evenko's media relations officer, Philip Vanden Brande,sent an email withthis statement: "Evenkotakes all necessary measures to ensure the safety of its festivalgoers. We are sorry to hear what happened to this lady. We will proceed with an investigation in order to find out what transpired."

Late Tuesday afternoon, Vanden Brandesent a second email, reiterating Evenko's earlier statement and adding that teams on site at the festival "can intervene quickly, and, if needed, rapidly and effectively treat those who require special care."

"SPVMpolice officers are also present around the site and are ready to take action at any time."

Evenko lists a series of measures to prevent, detect and help festival attendees, including:

• the security search at the entrance.
• the presence of medical and paramedical personnel.
• the presence of identifiable security guards.
• the presence of an organization specialized in raising awareness of the effects of drugs.
• the provision of rest areas.
• the announcement of preventative messages during the festival.

Need for culture shift

Ferderber said the problem requires more than improved security. She said it requires a culture shift.

"There are holisticapproaches you can take to not being part of rape culture, like not booking bands that encourage violence against women," Ferderber said.

Last year, Osheaga booked controversial rapper Action Bronson, who's been accused ofpromoting sexism, violence and rape.

Critics pointed to his music video,Brunch, in whichhe cooks a meal over a woman's apparently deadbody. Later in the video, he discovers the woman is still alive and stabs her.

In another song,Consensual Rape, Bronsonraps about drugging and violently gang-raping women.

Despite the outcry, Osheaga refused to cancel Bronson's booking.

In the end Bronson didn't show due to unspecified"travel problems."

• Osheagaattendee claims she was drugged and no one helped