Everyday Victim Blaming

challenging institutional disbelief around domestic & sexual violence and abuse

The @BBC remain incapable of correctly identifying child rape.

This is the brief complaint we have submitted to the BBC over an article entitled: "Outrage over 60-day jail term for sex with young daughter". The BBC limits the number of characters that can be used in a complaint.

 

The title of your article is "Outrage over 60-day jail term for sex with young daughter". Adult men do not "have sex with" 12 year old girls. They commit rape. Suggesting that a man has been sentenced for "having sex" is to support rape culture. It is this type of grossly inappropriate, inaccurate and malicious reporting that allows men to rape children with impunity. You cannot claim to be reporting on the outrage over a 60 day sentence if you can't even get the type of crime right.

This is not a one-off situation. Your organisation consistently misrepresents cases of rape, including that of children:
http://everydayvictimblaming.com/responses-to-media/the-bbc-remains-confused-about-the-definition-of-child-rape/
http://everydayvictimblaming.com/media-complaints/bbcnews-still-conflating-sex-with-rape-the-david-de-gea-allegations/
http://everydayvictimblaming.com/evb-analysis/bbcsport-confuses-child-sexual-abuse-with-child-sexual-abuse/
http://buff.ly/2eyVuox
http://buff.ly/2en7ZZq
http://buff.ly/2eCQnom

There is simply no excuse for such lazy and inaccurate journalism that actively supports rape culture. The journalists and editors who work for BBC online need immediate training in how to accurately report on violence against women and girls.

You can start by insisting they all read the following guidelines from the National Union of Journalists: https://www.nuj.org.uk/documents/nuj-guidelines-on-violence-against-women/

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2 thoughts on “The @BBC remain incapable of correctly identifying child rape.

  • Annie says:

    Do the BBC ever get back to you in response to this and similar complaints? Are they giving the journalists extra training in reporting rape?

  • Deeva Jana says:

    Grrrr…makes me so mad!! The BBC yet again subtley using incorrect wording to convey and uphold really harmful ideas around rape.