#ThisIsNotConsent
We encourage a lot of people to speak up and to report sexual violence but what happens if they do? We constantly hear about victim blaming but how ugly does it get? Most of us have heard about the #MeToo movement but how did this movement inspire others globally?
The #MeToo movement has inspired and empowered women of all ages to speak up against sexual violence globally. #ThisIsNotConsent movement was established in Ireland due to the admission of a victim’s underwear as evidence by the defense in a court trial regarding a rape case. The defense attorney argued that wearing nice underwear was consent and that the teenage girl shouldn’t have worn it in the first place (Norton, 2018). Further arguing, “You have to look at the way she was dressed. She was wearing a thong with a lace front” (George, 2018). The defendant was found not guilty of raping the 17-year old girl (Mezzofiore, 2018). This sparked multiple protests in Ireland and started the social media hash tag #ThisIsNotConsent.An Irish parliament member, Ruth Coppinger, held up underwear at one of the parliament house meetings to highlight the mistreatment of rape victims during trials and argued for a better legal approach to sexual violence (George, 2018). She further argued towards a male dominated assembly stating, “It might seem embarrassing to show a pair of thongs here in this incongruous setting, but… how do you think a rape victim or a woman feels at the incongruous setting of her underwear being shown in a court” (Norton, 2018). She further stated that the Rape Crisis Network Ireland statistics indicated, “only 10 percent of rapes are reported and just one in 40 gets an adequate conviction” (Norton, 2018). The low number of sexual violence allegations shows that many victims are hesitant to report such violence.
This demonstrates how victim blaming is a global issue, where if one had the courage to come forward, they might have to face such cruel condemnation. With such mistreatment of rape victims, it discourages many rape victims coming forward. Especially when showing off a victim’s personal garment by the defense legal team as evidence or a defense tactic against the victim in court. This truly affects whether or not a victim comes forward because they don’t or won’t be able to face such criticism or humiliation. This would also add emotional distress to the victims and re-traumatizes them. The problem here is the stigmatization the society has placed regarding this issue. Consequently, this can cause trauma to go untreated, causing it to develop into something more serious like seeking violence. Especially, when one feels hopeless with the world stacked against them.
Studies have shown that a direct correlation exists between trauma and violence (Saar, Epstein, Rosenthal, & Vafa, 2015). Where girls fall into the juvenile system rabbit hole, starting with smaller offenses and getting dragged into more serious offenses. I think this is due to the fact that the cause of the problem is not being addressed appropriately. Treating the trauma the girls have experienced and removing them from such toxic environment can improve this, showing them that there is hope or a way out.
The #MeToo movement has been very influential and has provided a platform for survivors. It encouraged many survivors to recognize the trauma they have experienced and also seek help to treat or heal from such trauma. This shows how important awareness is and how it can actually have a great impact on intervention. It is important for us to encourage victims to seek resources. It is our responsibility as a society to change.
Sources:
Saar, M., Epstein, R., Rosenthal, L., & Vafa, Y. (2015). The Sexual Abuse to Prison Pipeline: The Girls’ Story. Washington, D.C.: George Town Law Center on Poverty and Inequality.
Mezzofiore, G. (2018, November 15). Use of underwear in Irish rape trial sparks outrage. Retrieved from https://www.cnn.com/2018/11/14/europe/ireland-underwear-rape-acquittal-scli-intl/index.html
Norton, S. (2018, November 19). ‘This is not consent’: How a thong prompted protests across Ireland over the handling of rape trials. Retrieved from https://inews.co.uk/news/long-reads/this-is-not-consent-thong-rape-case-ireland-protests/
George, K. (2018, November 21). Why Irish Women Are Showing Off Their Underwear To Denounce Victim-Blaming. Retrieved from https://www.bustle.com/p/irish-womens-this-is-not-consent-tweets-protest-the-shocking-way-this-rape-trial-was-decided-13147976