Posted by Anna on August 2, 2007
Alleged rape victim identified
Well, you know what I’m going to say about that headline by now, don’t you?
After an emotional outburst in the Christchurch District Court as she gave evidence – and after the court was adjourned to give her time to compose herself – Jacqueline Howat told Judge Murray Abbott she wanted her name made public.
Complainants in sexual abuse cases have their names automatically suppressed.
However, after Howat’s unusual request, the judge made a special order allowing publication.
I think this was incredibly brave of her, particularly given the way the media frequently treats both rape survivors and sex workers, let alone those who are both.
She repeated her claim that she could identify the accused as the attacker, but agreed she had blocked out a lot of what happened on the night.
The “but” implies that these things are contradictory; they’re not. I think it was Maia who said to me recently that trials in such cases should include expert witness on how memory works during and after trauma. Suffice it to say that for her memory to work in this way is neither unusual nor illogical.
Posted in Aotearoa New Zealand, The Press, allegedly, courts, headlines, language, stuff.co.nz, suppression | 1 Comment »
Posted by Anna on June 18, 2007
Some words from Christchurch police central area commander Inspector Gary Knowles on the subject of exessive drinking amongst women:
“When women are drunk like this they have no control and are extremely vulnerable.
“They easily become victims of assault or rape and have no idea what has happened.
“How many times do we report stories of women waking up in strange places with only a vague recollection of what has happened the night before? They often have no idea if it was consensual or rape.”
Lets go right back to basics:
1) Women are not raped because they drink, they are raped because men rape them and because society permits it.
2) If a woman is so drunk that she can’t remember what happened in the morning, then she was in no state to give meaningful consent in the first place.
(Also, where’s the panic about men drinking excessively and attacking women? Or just, for that matter, drinking. Or is it only a problem for women, because it’s unladylike and somehow causes men, through no fault of their own, to attack them?)
Posted in NZPA, The Press, victim blaming | 1 Comment »
