challenging institutional disbelief around domestic & sexual violence and abuse
Media discussions of male violence against women focus on the actions of the victim rather than the perpetrator. How can we challenge this narrative using survivor’s testimony without putting them at risk of online harassment? “If I was Ched Evans i would find that whore and actually rape her this time!!” This is one […]
Chicago Blackhawks player Patrick Kane is currently under investigation for rape. As we see with all athletes accused of violence against women and girls, as with Ray Rice, excuses are already being made for Kane. According to an article in the New York Times, National Hockey League commissioner Gary Bettmen has already labeled the investigation “unfortunate”, proving that he […]
Martin Daubney has written yet another one of his articles dismissing women’ experiences of sexual violence insinuating that sexual harassment is just women over-reacting. The arrogance and male entitlement in Daubney’s article is breathtaking; as is his clear lack of understanding of rape culture. Wolf-whistling is misogyny in action. It is not a compliment, nor […]
cross-posted with permission from The Norman Awards Our latest #NotNorman goes to Carole Malone who wrote an article in the Mirror newspaper urging women to take responsibility for “their own safety”. As is the norm when anyone is just about to hold women responsible for a man’s choice to rape, she pays lip service to the civilised notion that women […]
Gary Glitter breaks down in tears over child abuse images This is the BBC’s write-up of Glitter’s trial: Gary Glitter broke down in tears as he explained to jurors why he had been in possession of child abuse images. Sobbing uncontrollably, the 70-year-old said he had been in a bad place in his life, and […]
After the recent introduction of consent classes to students in universities throughout the UK, and the clear lack of understanding surrounding consent in the media response to the Ched Evans case, I initially found the headline of yesterday’s telegraph article: ‘Do footballers need to take rape prevention classes?’ pretty promising. Were these (much needed) consent […]
We are increasingly concerned about demands for victims of rape and other forms of sexual violence to report to the police. We have seen this in response to both the allegations against Bill Cosby, as well as by “fans” of Ched Evans. Demanding that a woman report sexual violence is abusive behaviour. It holds women […]
There are days when I think journalists must live in a little community locked far far away from the people and issues they report on. I’m also pretty sure they must spend a lot of time reading their own notes and articles and nodding at their lovely jubbly cleverness rather than taking the nation’s pulse […]
(cross-posted with permission) BBC Norfolk’s Nick Conrad Thinks He’s A Slave to His Penis and Blames Victims on #ChedEvans Discussion Nick Conrad of BBC Radio Norfolk “I’ve got to be so careful of what I say, I don’t want this to be explosive…” As if enough idiocy and nonsense hadn’t been spoken already in relation to consent, rape […]
(originally published in the Huffington Post) We need a nuanced discussion of rape culture: just as every single person who has stepped up to defend Judy Finnigan’s theory that Ched Evans wasn’t a violent rapisthas demanded this week. We need to discuss why convicted rapist Ched Evans is currently in talks, from prison, about a potential […]