*Originally posted on 29/03/18
All four defendants in the Belfast Rape Trial were found not guilty on all charges yesterday, and then the women of Ireland burst into flames. Today, many of those women and men, took their fire to the streets some armed with yellow roses and are standing together in person as well as online, in solidarity with all victims of sexual assault, calling for change in the judicial system’s treatment of such cases and really, to wave the flag that says misogyny is not ok.
For those who may have suddenly awoken today to a feed awash with the hashtags #ibelieveher and #istillbelievher, they are as a result of the verdict of this lengthy trial being reached which included two high profile rugby players being found not guilty of raping a now 21-year-old student in June 2016. This was almost immediately followed by the creation and promotion of today’s events and became one of the hottest news topics debated in Ireland on social media of late.
We see the pattern time and time again in our society where comparable to the owner of a house with a dodgy pipe, the government and/or society patch it together with plasters. Meanwhile, it continues to trickle with its spillages slowly increasing in size, but they still choose to ignore it. Then one day, it bursts. Every occupant of the house knows about it then and the owner has no choice but to try and fix it. The burst usually comes in the form of a high-profile case, which captures the nation’s attention and shows how ‘live’ an issue is and how the current structures in place are insufficient. One prime example would be that of Savita Halappanavar and the 8th Amendment while in this case, the issue is the relationship between the judicial system and sexual assault cases as well as misogyny in our society which plays like a broken record every now and again but this time, it’s at defending volume which cannot be ignored, and everyone is listening.
I saw debates over and back on the comments sections of news stories in relation to the trial and there will always be different opinions on it. Many screamed that they got away with it and should have been punished, others argued that they must be innocent if that’s the verdict. One thing that’s for sure, we weren’t all in that courtroom and heard every piece of evidence, nor were we witnesses in the room on the night in question. We cannot say for definite one way or the other but that’s not what the #ibelieveher is about. It’s about what this woman taking a stand represents. Who she represents. She broke the pipe, took the full whack of the tsunami-like flood to say this is broken and someone needs to fix it or it will ruin the house and we will all drown.
“The culture shift needs to move from educating people not to rape rather than how not to get raped.”
It brings to the forefront of our discussions, the low level of conviction rates when it comes to sexual assault allegations as highlighted by Dublin Rape Crisis Centre late last year. It draws attention to the number of people who do not report it and it also brings the spotlight onto the gross misogynistic culture which still exists among some men which was as clear as day, with those text messages. The vomit-inducing, vile, putrid messages that were shared in the WhatsApp group among those men and appeared in court. The misogyny was off the charts.
The culture shift needs to move from educating people not to rape rather than how to not get raped. Maybe then, women won’t be spoken about like, I won’t even say animals, as you shouldn’t even speak about any living creature like that. I make no apology for my shrieking disgust as those messages turned my stomach, we are fellow human beings and should be treated as such. One of the sad parts about this, is I know so many amazing men, so many beautiful men, inside and out who are outraged by this, who are feminists, who care deeply about women and who wouldn’t for all the money in the world hurt us but instead care for, admire, stand up for and respect us. These men need a moment of acknowledgement because I cannot imagine how I’d feel as a man when I hear about things like #metoo but this does exist and not just in high profile cases like this one. It’s like a cultural disease intoxicating our society and if you are someone who thinks casual sexism, sexual harassment and sexual assault are not commonplace, then turn to the women in your lives today and ask them because you will be hard-pressed to find a cohort who haven’t some appalling experiences to share. Then make sure you call someone out on it the next time you hear something misogynistic.
It’s time to wake up. The Dublin Rape Crisis Centre says the rate of reporting sexual violence crimes may be as low as 8% and that doesn’t mean they are sitting at their office desks twiddling their thumbs waiting for calls. The received over 12,000 calls alone in 2016. The conviction rate is not helping. An overhaul is required judicially, socially and culturally. One of the worst parts is, while we all shout out following what this case represents and know that change can’t happen overnight, there are people experiencing this today, tomorrow, this week and every day until something changes. To you all I say, if you or know of anyone who has experienced sexual assault, let the verdict in this case not discourage you from coming forward but let the aftermath of outrage, solidarity and calls for change be an encouragement to speak up and know the support is there for you in droves, maybe not in the places or from the people you were hoping for or expect but we are here and we believe you because ‘her’ could be any of us.
For anyone seeking support, you can contact the Rape Crisis Centre National 24-Hour Helpline on 1800 77 888.
If you are looking to help, donate to your local rape crisis centre.