The events of this summer have caused a lot of people to rethink their view of police and the justice system. One of the common responses to #MeToo has been tsk-tsking that the victim should just go to the police, or suggesting that survivors of DV and sexual assault who didn’t immediately report must be lying. Right here on dailykos, I once saw someone argue that colleges shouldn’t take any action on sexual assault cases unless the victim reported to police.
So it’s worth noting that when Utah student Lauren McCluskey reported stalking, harassment and extortion by her ex, the police did nothing until she was murdered — and when she provided the nude pictures the ex was using for blackmail, the police officer showed them around for entertainment. In Washington, when “Marie” reported being raped by an intruder, police and prosecutors arm-twisted her into pleading guilty to “making a false report.” (Her rapist was caught, much later, with her picture among his victim trophies.) Oklahoma City police officer Daniel Holtzclaw used his position to rape multiple women, targeting Black women in particular. A Minnesota state trooper sent himself nude photos from a woman’s phone while she was hospitalized after a car accident. There was a similar case in Australia. Two studies in the 90’s put the rate of domestic violence among police at 40%.
I have a lot of reservations about the concept of restorative justice and eliminating police and prisons altogether. Any justice system is going to reflect the society we live in, and patriarchy would still be a big piece of that. (See, for instance, the college where a case of forcible groping ended with the perpetrator being ordered to bake bread and deliver it to the victim.)
I don’t have a great solution. What we need is accountability for perpetrators and support for victims, and no system is going to work otherwise.
As always, this diary is group effort. Thanks to Angmar, officebss, SandraLLAP, elenacarlena, and the WOW crew for links and discussion.
Violence and Harassment:
A former student is suing a Georgia high school for its handling of her sexual assault. The school’s response to the lawsuit was to bring out nude pictures which she had sent to a boyfriend (not the assailant) at age 15. They’re not only irrelevant to the assault allegations, they’re also technically child pornography, so what is the school doing with them?
Laura Bates of the Everyday Sexism Project has a new book on Men Who Hate Women. Her online forays into the “manosphere” are chilling.
In Nigeria, nothing happens when women are raped.
Pandemic and lockdown haven’t slowed down catcallers.
Warning: this article discusses a brutally violent rape. Ed Henry’s Accusers Say His Behavior Was an Open Secret at Fox News.
Emily Hunt was never able to prove that Christopher Killick drugged and raped her in a London hotel room. However, her five-year fight for justice had some success: he was convicted of filming her while she was unconscious.
A mother is fighting back after a photo of her child was stolen and her likeness was turned into a sex doll that was legally for sale on Amazon and other websites.
Incarcerated women say #MeToo.
Workplace and Economic Issues:
Study: financial advisers gave women worse advice than men.
California Lawmaker Denied Remote Vote Had To Bring Newborn To Capitol
I’m A Black Woman Who Had To Change Her Name To Get Ahead Professionally.
This is the Price of Women's Unpaid Household Labor: Women around the world work more than men at unpaid labor such as housework and caregiving. ...The price of this unpaid labor worldwide: $10.9 trillion, more than the combined revenue of the 50 richest global companies.
Physicist Myriam Sarachik battled a lifetime of sexism to get where she is today.
COVID and Health:
Daily KOS article on over-medication of women in U.S. prisons, now often used as warehouses for the mentally ill.
Women fight for release from Fort Worth prison. Some with COVID died while waiting.
Virus woes force girls across Asia into child marriage.
Because of COVID-19, women are finding they don’t have to be “polite” about unwanted touching.
Reproductive Rights:
Mike Pence to speak at “crisis pregnancy center” that spreads abortion myths.
“This is a story about abortion. No one will read it.”
Ted Cruz and a Bunch of GOP Senators Are Trying to Ban the Abortion Pill.
Two pieces of legislation are currently in Congress to protect women’s access to reproductive care.
Uncategorizable:
How the “Karen” meme benefits the right.
Good News and Action Items:
Brazil and England announce equal pay for their men’s and women’s soccer teams.
A small step forward: Afghanistan will now include mother’s names, as well as father’s, on ID cards.
Amnesty International urgent action for gender-based violence survivor Josina Machel in Mozambique.