challenging institutional disbelief around domestic & sexual violence and abuse
On Wednesday afternoon, when I got back from work I sat at my PC and watched the Alan Titchmarsh Show. I can’t say it’s something I’m proud of, but I was keen to see it as I knew Laura Bates of Everyday sexism was on the programme discussing whether or not sexism still exists. I […]
(This piece was originally published at Reading Medieval Books) Today – when I should have been looking for a house to rent for my new job – I read an article in the Guardian by Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett on the subject of victim blaming. It was provocatively titled “Have accusations of rape victim blaming gone too far?”. As […]
Ok, so I have to admit I’ve been watching Twitter blow up about feminist self-defence with growing irritation and frustration over the past couple of weeks. As I suppose 140 characters lends itself to, it seems to fast be becoming an argument with an ‘innovative’ ‘new idea’ and the suggestion that anyone questioning it holds […]
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Details of the cross examination of witnesses in the trial of Ben Blakeley have emerged, revealing once more the pervasive victim-blaming in cases of domestic violence against women. A known and repeated abuser of women Blakeley, 22, is on trial for murdering of his pregnant, 17-year-old girlfriend, Jayden Parkinson, in December last year. Blakeley, who […]
The information contained in the Jimmy Savile reports will not be a surprise to those who have been following this horrific case. Aside from sexually assaulting women & children who were both patients & staff of NHS facilities, it is clear that he sexually assaulted dead people – after being given unfettered access to the […]
[View the story “#MoralMaze – How can we help more rapists get away with rape?” on Storify]
(Content Note – non-graphic description of sexual pleasure during sexual abuse) We’ve noticed a running trend in our website searches recently, and we wanted to address what appears to be a gap in the information our site provides. The topic is still considered ‘taboo’, and very rarely spoken about. We’d like to help change that, […]
Two of the pillars that underpin the many barriers to reporting domestic and sexual violence are the myths of “those women” and “those men”. Those women are weak, dishevelled, vulnerable. They stare out at us from sexual and domestic abuse awareness posters, with their black eyes and tear-filled eyes. When we experience abuse we don’t […]
I recently read a blog on The Guardian’s website describing how some male students at Oxford University are wearing white ribbons to protest against and acknowledge the very real experiences of their fellow female students of sexual violence and misogynistic behaviour on campus. The campaign ‘It Happens Here’ has seen a number of women come […]