News Uk Sex Abuse Reportage Over The Last Year Or So....

[Springer80]

Nick Ross, was most well known for being the co-presenter of a programme called 'Crime Watch!' Oh the irony that after all those years pleading with the public to assist in the capture of the countries criminals he comes out with views like this....especially as his female co-presenter Jill Dando, was shot dead on her door step by an obsessive male fan.

there is a societal narrative out there that is about covering for abusers and minimizing the effects on victims, as I know you all know

the media will do what they always do and sensationalize very sensitive issues like abuse. They will also continue to keep these kind of stories going, because that is what sells newspapers.

I feel awful for you and I hope that you can look after yourself because unfortunately the news isn't something that goes away (something I'm learning as I'm getting better at dealing with stories which upset me). I hope you are doing okay...and hope you can ignore these stories that are clearly hurting you so much.

This is exactly my problem, the injustice of the distortion of it perpetuates the culture in which abusers have the upper hand. I used to be deeply personally affected by these reports, I would physically feel the oppression of them and realize my second class value in the eyes of so many of societies institutions. I don't feel it that keenly anymore but injustice still gets me angry.

I did ignore them for a while, in fact I couldn't stomach anything even slightly cynical never-mind outright incensing. However, the people who are most affected often have to ignore them the most in order to protect themselves and that is the problem isn't it. Personally I'm not prepared for that to continue to be the status quo.

Quite a number of the recent cases in the UK the women (children as was) that were raped as opposed to assaulted have given assisting evidence but have been advised not to press charges often 'for their own benefit,' so as not to distress them any further. I am horrified by this, our justice system needs to change.

This is also reflected in the post trial reporting, young girls are kidnapped, raped/molested then murdered, by the time it gets to post prosecution they only report kidnap and murder and everyone can brush the unpalatable reason for the kidnap and murder away. It is a travesty to the horror those girls had go through.

 

[Meadowsweet]

On MSN tonight there is a headline that Savile sex-abuse cop is to enter Big Brother house.

A policeman can do what the heck he likes, and I have nothing against the individual wanting to go into Big Brother. But how dare he, or the media use such a sick story in the context of big brother, which is known to create minor celebrities.

It makes me feel sick - and of course I have PTSD, so I'm probably over-reacting. But if he's been involved in such an investigation, he should respect the victims and not use it as an egotistical claim to fame.

I just needed to vent that.

 

[Abstract]

Oh. :sick: I think this is as low as it can go. BB is so exploitive anyway it shouldn't be surprising but....

 

[Springer80]

I might lodge a complaint with Television Complaints Commission (or whatever it is they're called).

 

[Meadowsweet]

If you find out how, please let me know, and I'll do the same.

 

[Abstract]

.....Me too.

 

[Abstract]

OK. I haven't been a happy little camper recently. I seem to be surrounded by victim blaming and ignorance and it's gettting up my nose.

As an example I was at a party a little while ago and left it feeling sickened. Somehow conversations just kept ending up on various aspects of abuse reported over the last period of time. Very strange and unusual for my friends who are the least psychologically orientated bunch you could find.

One of the discussions revolved around one of the latest very well known names to have allergations made against him. He happens to be a close friend of some of them.

I won't go through what was said as I don't think it deserves to get more screen time but surfice it to say it was ignorant and very victim blaming. It was also claimed that it was just one girl who was not underage at the time and something very mild.

It turns out there were more than one, they were underage and child pornography was also found.

The only person in the group that showed any compassion or sense was a guy.

They really desperately need to do an educational documentary on the effects of abuse and what normal reactions are.

I don't see our society as a whole having any ability to make good decsions or deal with these things better if there is such wide spread ignorance and misinformation.

I actually think it's something BB1 shoulid be tackling.

 

[Kas_Can_Fly]

My friend's wife did the exact same thing, saying "Well at 14, he's hardly a paedophile", "They should just leave him alone, poor guy", "Oh assault, what does that even mean then? It's not rape is it" and "I bet they wanted it anyway, I bet they were pretending they were older, how was he supposed to know" - This is all from a woman, who amongst other things claims to be a feminist, it was also in front of me and she knows I was sexually abused throughout my childhood. Now I know she has BPD and her allegiances tend towards animal rights more than human rights, but as stated she does consider herself up on the rights of women too. I found this awkward to say the least and mostly avoided the whole thing, which wasn't too difficult as I wasn't in a great way previously.

As stated before in this thread, whilst I understand the achievement in being able to investigate under-age sex crimes, to be able to catch many perpetrators, therefore bringing closure to victims and also of being able to highlight the need for openness about such horrors both to prevent these crimes happening at all and to prevent their continuation; the way the UK media handles this, in-fact I'd go so far as to say the way that Operation Yewtree is being operated in regards to the media, brings scandal and often defends the criminals in question and is most often more alienating to rape and abuse victims.

Take for instance the most recent in all of these; Rolf Harris. If the investigators had waited evidence was compiled and the necessary questioning done away from the eyes of the press, there would not have been an availability of doubt for his victims or for his actions. By allowing there to be such public doubt, meant that yet again victims were called (albeit not to their faces, just broad assumptions accross most of the UK and publicised by the media) liars, trouble makers and many people protected their beloved celebrity. The thing is now that it has been proven, people can be shocked and disappointed as much as they like, but they aren't now apologising for their unfair presumptions made against the victims and more broadly speaking victims in general. If only this end result was the first the media got wind of, then people would have the facts rather than playing Judge, Jury and Executioner against the innocent victim - they shouldn't have the chance to do that against the victims or the abusers, that's the job of the investigation.

No, rather than helping, all it is doing is making people question the truth and motives behind the revelation of rape and abuse in all ages with the unfair presumption that they just want attention and must be manipulative. In other articles where the occurrence of rape is NOT under any doubt, one article had many witnesses, and the woman gets publicly (albeit in the rather unpleasant comments section) called a liar and that many women lie of rape and that she should be ashamed for what she's done (WTF?!?!). Yes it's bringing sexual abuse to the limelight, but in what I can see it's hardly helpful to victims, who now are not only treated with the previous level of scepticism, but also a malicious presumption that even if believed they're still just trouble makers any way and they should feel guilt and shame for putting their abuser through such a rough time of it.

 

[twopenny]

I think victim blaming is actually (in part) a defence mechanism. S/he did this / wore that / behaved like that, and I (or my wife, or my daughter, etc) don't do that, so it couldn't happen to me / them - we're safe. I think it can also be rooted in prejudice.

I actually think that all names and identities in all sexual cases should be kept private until a verdict is reached, in order to protect the victims from the press, and from comments such as those that have been made in recent 'celebrity' cases. Also the (I'm guessing few) people who are wrongly charged (while I wouldn't say that false accusations are at all common, they can happen, and investigators aren't perfect either - we live in an imperfect word, where mistakes can and do happen).

The allegations against Rolf Harris haven't yet been proved though - clearly the CPS and police have found enough evidence to believe they can convict, but it's not proved till he's been tried. I'm not a fan or anything, I'm pretty ambivalent towards him, and I have no idea of what the evidence is, other than that it must be substantive, but I do think it's an important point.

 

[Lucycat]

Sorry but I disagree. I think naming the alleged perpetrators is a huge part to giving people confidence to come forwards and speak up. I do appreciate sometimes there are false allegations, but this is far less than the numbers coming forward quietly and saying 'me too'.

People are named in the cases of other crimes. Sex crimes are no different. All (alleged) criminals are at risk of mistaken identity and the consequential loss of career etc.

There is a balance. If celebrities choose to commit crimes then they face more publicity than others. Their choice.

 

[Kas_Can_Fly]

I think they should be named, only after the facts are found, they are either guilty or not guilty and any supposing either way is not helpful to them or their victims. If the person is found guilty then yes, by all means publicise it. But by it being made this public it's not harming them, because most people seem to be rallying to their defense because they don't think he is or looks like the sort of person to do such a thing.

In the mean time 90+% of the coverage and surrounding discussion is about the celebrities and the "act" without mentioning the fact that the "act" means there are victims. People seem to find it terribly upsetting that someone they've seen on TV has done something to someone else, without even contemplating that that someone else has to live with what's been taken from them. It's just none of the reactions that people seem to be having are actually helpful.

Someone getting so angry that they want to harm the celebrity doesn't help.
Someone who thinks that joking would be useful doesn't help.
Someone who thinks that defending the celebrity or justifying his actions because he did a lot for charity doesn't help
Someone who says that the victims encouraged or caused the celebrity to abuse them doesn't help.
Someone who says that women in general, seek out this behaviour, just look at the way they dress, doesn't help.
Someone who says that the victims should just shut up, because they should have chased it up years ago, doesn't help
Someone who says the victims just want money and are riding the scandal, and should be ashamed of themselves, doesn't help.
Someone who says that if the Abuser is castrated or killed that everything is better, doesn't help.
Someone who says the victims should just get over it, doesn't help.
Someone who has all the talk but no compassion or understanding for the after affects of abuse, doesn't help.
Someone saying that all people who work with children (as children are irritating) must be in turn paedophiles doesn't help.
Someone convinced that now no-where out of the places they know is safe and they will isolate their child from school and friends doesn't help. How many people here were abused by a TV star and how many people here were abused by a family member or friend of the family? It's not really making the truth that well known. It's like saying that all sexual assaults happen in a dark wood or alley.

And I'm not just talking about other people who have been abused, but I'm talking about spreading a healthy general awareness of what can and does happen. How if you know, think you know or suspect something that you should report or seek action on it. That children especially who have been abused suffer with dissociative disorders and PTSD often for the rest of their lives. That victims of sexual assault or abuse should be helped and not stigmatised. But all that is really happening with this is the awareness of the blame game. That might be useful for some but for the broader and more close to home events, that is sadly not particularly helpful. Especially as part of this lack of compassion is causing professionals both from a psychological view and from a police/justice view are mostly disbelieving because these people (such as myself for example, who first sought help literally 3 weeks to a month before this all exploded last year, that seems to be largely bulked in) have probably just thought of a good way of getting attention from the media and are as a result lying.

 

[Lucycat]

The problem with your theory , Kas, - as I see it- is that if perpetrator needs to be found guilty before their name is released all the other victims individually remain silent. So that first act is never proven because all the corroboration sits with the numbers of other victims.

In my case it was the fact that 6 of us had the same individual stories to tell that convinced the Crown Prosecution Service to proceed with the case. When it was just one lone voice she was initially seen as a 'trouble maker with mental health problems'. When they discovered there were more of us ( and others who spoke to the police but declined to make formal statements) suddenly it was taken much more seriously.

I agree I would like there to be more media coverage about what it all means to the victims, but I have already seen a change of tack. I heard a recent radio broadcast about the mother's perspective when she learns her own husband is sexually abusing their children. Not sensationalism - just real sad, hard facts.

I too have had friends and acquaintances talking nonsense and showing an absolute lack of understanding. However this is an opportunity to show them another point of view - even without me having to disclose I am a victim- because it is a popular topic of conversation.