« SIS (the Safety Information System) is a new, revolutionary way for people in the city of Toronto to share information about sexual violence with each other, including rape, sexual assault and sexual harassment. SIS is a METRAC project, funded by the City of Toronto, supported by Toronto Police Services, and developed and coordinated by sexual assault activist Jane Doe. Jane Doe was the centre of the landmark 1998 case Jane Doe v Toronto Police Force, in which she successfully sued them for their failure to warn women about a serial rapist in her neighbourhood.

Through social media, email, phone and art, SIS is a form of city building that will notify Torontonians about sexual assault occurrences and provide inspiring information to promote a culture of consent.

SIS includes a creative arts-based street presence in the form of poster art. The Scadding Court Community Centre Market will launch SIS’s Participatory Poster Art Gallery and display over 100 bold, creative and sassy warning messages developed by community members that counter and disrupt rape mythology and highlight gaps in our systems to deal with sexual violence. “Rape warnings often work to regulate and control women’s movements and lives instead of placing accountability and responsibility on the perpetrators of the crime and its systemic nature,” says Jane Doe. “SIS brings us full circle. The project will allow community members to access critical information and allow them to craft their own warnings and messages of awareness and education through art.”
The gallery will be open to the public 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM from July 14 to July 20.

While the online notification system is currently in development, interested users can visit www.metrac.org/sisto to learn more and sign up as “early adopters”. The system will be functional in fall 2015.

Contact: Andrea Gunraj, METRAC Phone 416-392-4760 | Email outreach@metrac.org »

-from METRAC media release