challenging institutional disbelief around domestic & sexual violence and abuse
This article was originally published on The Conversation. By Ian Cummins, University of Salford The recent publication of a serious case review into the suicide of Frances Andrade reveals how difficult it is for a sexual assault victim to stand and testify against an accuser in court. Keir Starmer, the former director of public prosecutions, […]
Violence is utilized to control another through physical force. It is and can be either verbal or physical. It can be a “one time” situation or a long term situation. In the long term situations it is often the battered intimate partners, children, or significant family member who becomes the victims. The perpetrator utilizes physical […]
We are opposed to any laws, criminal or civil, which force victims of domestic and sexual violence to testify against their perpetrator. We believe that the justice system must put the health and safety of the victim first and that it is inhumane and unethical to incarcerate victims for refusing to testify. We are extremely […]
The unbelievable truth about Victoria Coren is that she has struck again not long after having rhapsodised about Roman Polanski in her dreadful piece about so called ‘nuance and the sin of simplification’ (note there are several responses to that article on this site here). In her Observer piece entitled Between labelling Woody Allen a […]
A couple of years ago on Twitter, the hashtag #IBelieveHer sprang up. It was in response to the Ched Evans case and, since then, the hashtag has become part of a feminist Twitter response to cases of sexual abuse, sexual violence and domestic abuse. Sometimes it is specific to a particular woman; most recently #IBelieveDylan. […]
Victoria Coren appeals to us today to stand with her in her piece for the Observer. She is just like anyone who reads the Observer apparently. She suggests that we, like her, are probably stuck in a moral quandary over Woody Allen’s latest letter and Dylan Farrow’s recent letter accusing him of abuse. Here goes. […]
Yesterday, we read an excellent article by Rebecca Hains explaining why The Daily Beast’s coverage of open letter by Dylan Farrow to Woody Allen’s fans were dangerous and irresponsible. Not ten minutes after reading Hains’ article, we came across a similarly offensive and dangerous piece on Dylan Farrow and Woody Allen: this time by Michael […]
TW: discussion of child abuse, sexual abuse & rape My original complaint to the BBC about the wording is at the bottom of this post. Above that is the BBC’s response. At the top is my reply: Dear [redacted], Thank you for responding to my complaint, even though that response is multiple levels of wrong […]
TW: Child abuse, grooming On 9 January 2014, the Mirror published the following article http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/paedophile-cop-christopher-semak-gets-3006714 The article describes the sentencing of a policeman who “sexually abused a teenage girl”. She was 14 when this began. The relationship lasted 18 months. Det Supt Tim Bacon is quoted as saying: “It is clear he groomed the victim […]
This piece featured in Thursday’s Mirror (17th January 2014) which I feel raises some important issues, however, they are juxtaposed with victim blaming and male violence against women and girls minimising language and sadly consequently, dilutes the messages therein. Even the main headline omits the word ‘child’, which is after all what this is about: […]