Latest news with #victimblaming
BBC News
29-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Violence against women: Gloucestershire Police aims to reduce victim blaming
New guidelines have been issued within a police force to help reduce victim blaming and misogynistic language when reporting instances of violence against 'Words Matter' reporting guidelines by Gloucestershire Police were created to "amplify the voices of victims and survivors, place responsibility on the perpetrator, and improve accuracy in its press communications".Work on the project began in August 2022 in collaboration with the not-for-profit organisation This Ends police and crime commissioner Chris Nelson said: "Women are not 'groped' in clubs, men are sexually assaulting them. Women are not 'playing hard to get', men are raping them." The guidelines relate to the use of language used by the force, and is a guide for communications teams as they provide information to the public and press through witness appeals and publicising outcomes from court. Jo Webb, from Gloucestershire Police's press office, said the force wants to be sure it is "doing it right"."We realised there was no set of guidelines for police communicators when writing about incidents of male violence committed against women," she said."In the past, we would have been quite passive with our language. "We might have said for example, 'a woman was attacked' or 'a woman had been raped', with not a lot of detail or focus on the perpetrator."Now we would say, 'a man has attacked or raped a woman' - we're putting the onus and responsibility on the perpetrator."Gloucestershire Police's violence against women and girls lead, Det Ch Supt Kerry Patterson, added: "These are subtle but powerful changes in the right direction." Gloucestershire based This Ends Now was founded in 2022 in response to a series of incidents of male violence against women and and managing director Sydney-Anne McAllister said she hopes the new reporting guidelines will "reframe the conversation" and help crime reports to more accurately reflect the seriousness of the male violence against guidelines cover crimes committed primarily, but not exclusively, by men and boys against women and girls, the force covers rape and sexual assault, domestic abuse, child sexual abuse, indecent images of children and image-based abuse. It also provides tips on headlines, language around age and referencing a perpetrator's occupation. Mr Nelson said: "Anyone can be abused, but the misogynistic abuse women and girls face every day has become normalised in our society. "The Words Matter reporting guidelines may seem a small way to tackle this systemic problem, but by changing the way we talk and think about these types of crimes, we change perceptions."Mr Nelson said the Words Matter guidelines run alongside their continuing work to end male violence against women and girls through funding vital victims services and educational programmes.
News.com.au
27-05-2025
- News.com.au
Irish influencer Charleen Murphy relives vicious dinner assault
A social media personality has recounted the night she was attacked in a restaurant, sharing the shocking and misogynistic reactions she faced online from people who said she 'deserved it'. Charleen Murphy was dining with a friend at a Dublin restaurant on February 10, 2023 when she was punched in the back of the head by Craig O'Brien in a targeted attack. The 30-year-old had used social media to locate Ms Murphy, and told police he was convinced influencers were 'ganging up on him' and that Ms Murphy 'probably deserved it', according to Daily Mail. He even messaged her following the assault, asking her 'How's the head?', The Irish Sun reported. O'Brien was sentenced to two years and three months over the attack, and was understood to have suffered drug issues and psychosis at the time of the incident. Ms Murphy opened up about the night in an interview with RTE's Prime Time. 'I just felt this blow to the back of my head, my head basically went so full force forward into my glass that the glass completely shattered,' she said. The 26-year-old said when she turned and saw O'Brien, she knew straight away that he had been the one to deal the horrific blow. She needed to be rushed to the emergency room, and was given stitches as a result of the vicious attack. Ms Murphy revealed that when what happened to her came to light, she was told she 'wasn't a real victim' by people online. Some even commented that O'Brien didn't take it far enough. 'People think it's just a comment. But kids are reading that. That's saying to them, 'It's okay for me to post this too.' All the little things turn into the big things,' she told the Irish television program. She expressed her concern about misogyny online, and how it's becoming increasingly available for young people to see this views. As a result of the attack, Ms Murphy has had to get security in order to feel safe. She also only posts restaurant, holiday or shopping trips after they have concluded so she cannot be followed. She said some people have slammed her for this, but that abuse shouldn't be part of her job.' 'It's usually a fake account. Usually a man. But sometimes it's their own account and they just have no shame,' she told RTE. 'Men try to flirt by replying to stories. If you don't reply, it's like, 'Well, you're a sl*t.' They say something nasty because you didn't give them attention.' On the two-year anniversary of the terrible attack, Ms Murphy said the date will always 'feel heavy' but she was 'proud' of the journey she's been on. 'I remember flying home from visiting Dano who lived in England at the time and having a knot in my stomach about landing in the country I loved and lived in,' she said. 'A country that I usually would've had such a sense of comfort landing in, felt so alien and scary to me. I thought I would never feel genuinely happy again or have any feeling of safety. I wish I could go back and promise her that she will feel so much happiness again. 'For a long time I was scared of everything and everyone, things I never would've second guessed I found myself overthinking. I felt weak and it took so much pushing myself to make sure that I didn't feel like that forever.' She said she was incredibly grateful for the community who rallied around her following the trauma, and gave words of encouragement to others who had been through significant trauma.
CNA
15-05-2025
- CNA
Deep Dive Podcast - The dangers of victim-blaming in sexual assault cases
Warning: This episode contains references to sexual violence. The former vice president of the Law Society Chia Boon Teck resigned after he was heavily criticised for his comments about a rape victim. Steven Chia and Otelli Edwards speak to Mark Yeo, director at Fortress Law Corporation and Sugidha Nithiananthan, director of advocacy and research at AWARE, about the dangers of victim-blaming. The key question in every sexual assault case comes down to whether there was clear consent and everyone needs to be educated on how important it is, say our guests on this episode.
