Polly has already kicked off a discussion under another thread about this appalling story in the Daily Mail (and in today’s Guardian) regarding the rape victim who was imprisoned for 8 months on Friday for retracting her original allegations. I figured maybe it would be more appropriate to start a new thread on this.
Plus I’ve just received the official statement on the case from Rape Crisis (England and Wales), which I wanted to highlight here. Here it is:
“Rape Crisis (England and Wales) are outraged that yet again a woman is being punished and criminalised for choosing not to pursue her case through the criminal justice system (CJS).
This flies in the face of any progress that has been made in the last few years around how the CJS responds to women who have been raped.
We are shocked that this woman has received a custodial sentence and by the length of it. It highlights a complete lack of understanding of the complexity and reality of women’s experience of violence in their lives.
The act of making a false retraction is not an offence in its own right and we are calling for her immediate release and for an investigation into how this shocking situation has arisen.”
I really hope Rape Crisis and the other women’s organisations who have spoken out for this poor woman are successful and that she gets released soon. I also hope the judge ends up facing some kind of disciplinary action for their appalling decision.
Too Much To Say For Myself 
Of all the women I know who’ve been raped (quite a lot) I’ve only ever met one who reported it to the police (he was found not guilty). Most wouldn’t even consider reporting it. Unless I was also severely physically injured I very much doubt I would -fortunately my chances of being raped in the first place are very much reduced by the fact I’m a lesbian. But I have been sexually assaulted as a child and no, that wasn’t reported to anyone.
How on earth is something like this, as I said below, expected to encourage women to report rape?
Exactly Polly. This case won’t encourage any woman to report, and the judgement is a slap in the face for all those who’ve worked so hard over the past few years to improve the CJS’s response to rape victims/survivors. Talk about one step forward, two steps back: this is more like two steps back and then a fall off a fucking big cliff.
I have never ever advised or encouraged a woman to report to the police, and I know I wouldnt put myself through that either. This case just confirms what nasty, misogynistic individuals and institutions women have to interact with when they do report. For all the talk of improvements with SARC’s, police, crown prosecution service and judiciary deal with rape – this case proves the absence of positive development.
A great response from Rape Crisis. Hope they put the pressure on. I am available for marches/demos on this one, if anyone organises something. This is NOT the first time a woman has been jailed for PTCOJ with rape cases.
It would be a different story if the the CJS had a good track record, it doesn’t, still around the 6% conviction rate, and only a small percentage make it to trial anyway. Of reported rapes, the majority do not even see the inside of a court room. And most rapes are not reported to begin with.
I would not encourage a woman to report a rape.
I likely never would report one, nor haven’t, myself.
I thought the Mail story was presented very positively from a feminist viewpoint. I was expecting a far worse treatment when I clicked through.
If a woman called police saying she had been beaten six times by a partner, and when they arrived she was bleeding from six places, would they take her to court if later she said he hadn’t done it? It’s another example of mental abuse and out-of-sight physical abuse never being taken seriously enough.
The hypocrisy of the Mail is breathtaking, and as for the court and the police, they are just depressing. It sounds like they were falling over themselves to charge her with something.
james – it’s sympathetic standpoint is ruined by the legion of false allegation stories it reports (often with dodgy grasp of truth) which in turn fuel the ‘all women are lying’ myth which in turn result in cases like this where the victim becomes the guilty party. as angie says, their hypocrisy is breathtaking.
This judgment shows exactly how far we have come with dealing with sexual violence: Not very far at all. Look at my blog for more:
http://bit.ly/bydIIx
Please let me know if anyone is organising a campaign about this case – whether a letter-writing campaign or a demonstration, I’m furious about this and only holding back until I can decide on the most effective way to take action.