Laureen Owaga Spotlight: Breaking the Silence Around Sexual Assault

Sexual assault may feel like a difficult and taboo topic to bring up in conversation, but second year Psychology and International Development PhD student Laureen Owaga wants to break the silence around sexual assault and intimate partner violence. 

Passionate about her work, Laureen hopes that her research looking at implementing a Canadian sexual assault prevention program in Kenya will not only help Kenyan women and girls, but also inform findings that can improve the program back in Canada.  

Laureen spoke with us about her passion for her research, her personal journey, and her hopes for the future.  

What is your program and area of research? 

I’m in the 2nd year of my PhD studying Psychology and International Development. My research is in Applied Social Psychology on the topic of intimate partner violence, specifically sexual assault prevention programs. 

I’m studying a Canadian sexual assault prevention program, EAAA, to see if it would be feasible to adopt in Kenya. The program is originally Canadian and has been adopted in the U.S., Australia, and Southern Africa. I’m seeing if it’s possible to use this program effectively in Kenya given the levels of sexual assault in university in Kenya are in a range similar to those found in Canadian universities. 

As I’ve been talking to the person leading the intervention adaption in South Africa, it’s interesting to see that the women in Eswatini are very good at asking structural questions, like questions around sustainability of the program in the long term. Those questions are rarely asked in the Western setting, so I’m curious to see if those questions come up in Kenya as well. The beauty of comparative studies is that information is flowing both ways, so as much as we’re looking to adapt this program from Canada to Kenya, we might get findings we can bring back to Canada as well. 

How would you explain your discipline and/or research to someone who wasn’t in your program?  

My program isn’t just theoretical, it has an applied component which means that I’m studying social problems, in this case sexual assault, and their possible solutions, bringing them together in a way that will actually solve the problem or attempt to.  

What do you wish your colleagues/friends/family knew about your work?  

Every time my family, friends, or undergrad students ask “What do you do?” I say I'm studying sexual assault prevention programs, and then there's a chill that comes over the conversation. People feel it’s a taboo topic.  

However, I think it’s so important to talk about things like sexual assault. Women are already marginalized in different ways, and not talking about sexual assault contributes to silencing of women. I would love people to ask questions and talk about it as part of the very important work towards liberation and reducing stigma. Yes, it’s uncomfortable, but people should sit with the discomfort. Ignoring it doesn’t mean the problem isn’t there. 

Why is your research important to you?  

Often when I tell people I’m studying gender-related issues in International Development and Psychology, people don’t think it’s as important as math or science. But really, I think it’s very important because gender equality and equity are touching on real issues that impact everyone, not just half the population but all genders. 

Even thinking about it from a purely economic viewpoint, so much is spent on preventing and responding to sexual assault, and it takes such a toll on an individual’s wellbeing. Having a healthy population contributes to a nation’s wellbeing and economic prosperity, and preventing sexual assault is a part of maintaining a healthy population. 

Have you learned/discovered anything since beginning your studies/this initiative at Guelph that’s surprised you? If so, what?  

Mostly when reading about the West vs the rest of the world. The West is always portrayed as much better in almost everything. Now as a Psychology and IDS student, I am now coming across literature on GBV and other areas that are contrary to what I was used to. For example, even though Canada and Kenya are very different countries, and a lot has been done to prevent sexual assault in Canada, the rates of violence are strikingly similar. That’s not necessarily represented in the literature. 

What do you consider your biggest challenge?   

24 hours seems so small these days to do everything I need to do! I’m not bad at time management, but there’s a lot to do between schoolwork, research, professional development, and volunteering. Ideally, I’d like to achieve a better work/life balance. 

One thing I’ve really appreciated though is how the Psychology department pairs incoming students with a peer upper-year student with a similar domestic or international background, who has been where you are and can give you tips to overcome some of these challenges. I’ve heard things get easier after the 2nd year, so I hope that comes true! 

What are you most proud of?  

My resilience and the person I have become. When I decided to do my Master’s, I had stable employment in Kenya and could have continued in my chosen career path, but I felt like I needed to do something else and change careers, which involved a lot of risk taking. So, successfully completing and graduating with my Master’s, gave me a great sense of accomplishment. Also, I have seen a great change in myself from a very shy to a confident and self-reliant person. In the past four years, I have moved to two different countries, from Kenya to the US and now Canada and have had to adopt very quickly to new environments and systems and couldn’t be more proud. 

What drives you? 

My passion. When I was deciding to go to graduate school, one piece of advice I got was to get into research that I cared about. True to the advice, there are days during my Master’s and even now as a PhD student when I am just so tired, but I think about my research, and it keeps me going.  

I’m also passionate about gender equality because I grew up in an environment where women weren’t treated very well. Of course, that is changing but it’s still so normal where I grew up for a man to beat his wife, or for people to engage in female genital cutting, or for a 14-year-old girl to be married off to an older man for economic reasons. I wanted to help these women and girls, some of whom I knew closely but I couldn’t, so I hope that my work prevents these types of violence someday and informs changes that will help future generations of women. 

What do you plan to do with your degree/following this initiative?  

I don’t really have a straight answer yet! Some days I want to be a professor because I love research and interacting with students, but applying for grants and doing all the other things I must do to get there is intimidating, demanding and overwhelming. Despite that, I’m doing my best to prepare for either a career as a professor or to work in the industry. Seeing the little ways that my work positively impacts people in real life gives me so much gratification, so maybe I’m more suited for work in the industry, probably in the public policy areas, consulting or program evaluations in the gender equality field.  

Is there a fun or interesting fact about yourself that you’d like to share?  

I speak four languages. In Kenya that’s very common, but in North America I’ve found that’s a fun fact because most people only speak one or two. I speak English, Swahili, Dholuo, and Gikuyu dialect, and I’m planning on learning French in the fall.