Make reporting safe to dismantle systemic rape culture | Rebecca Weeks | TEDxSurreyUniversity
URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JU5o8mWldH8 Video ID: JU5o8mWldH8 ============================================================ it is vital that we make reporting safe in the uk to help dismantle systemic rape culture currently we have a system where reporting isn't safe when i was 15 years old i was raped when i was walking home from school the rape ended when a car began approaching in the distance and the man got up and ran off the car was a police car it slowed down next to me and the police officer looked at me and then said let me give you some advice he then told me that i shouldn't wear headphones when i walked home alone otherwise i wouldn't be able to hear footsteps coming he also told me that the folder that i was carrying in my arms my gcse biology folder could look like a laptop in the dark and could therefore entice someone to attack me the policeman then just dropped me home i was 15 years old i was wearing school uniform a few years ago i sought advice from the police again about reporting not only this rape but separate incidents of child sexual abuse against me the police advised me to not report to leave it they told me that it wouldn't lead to anything and that it would cause me to lose control of my story this is when it dawned on me that the police officer who dropped me home when i was 15 wasn't alone in his failure rape culture is systemic and has created a system in which it is not only deemed normal for victims to choose not to report the crimes against them but authorities often actively discourage victims from reporting we don't know how many children in the uk have been sexually abused but the nspcc have suggested that it is around 1 in 20. around 1 in 20 children sexually abused in the uk and rape crisis reports that approximately 85 000 women and 12 000 men experience rape attempted rape or sexual assault by penetration in england and wales alone every year so with sexual abuse and sexual violence being so prevalent and affecting so many children and adults why is it so underreported and why are so few perpetrators convicted it's very clear in uk legislation that sexual abuse and sexual violence is illegal and we have a very clear criminal justice system in which other crimes are routinely reported to the police but sexual abuse and sexual violence are not taken seriously and children and adults are actively discouraged from reporting this this is down to rape culture rape culture is the cultural norms and institutions that protect rapists shame victims promote impunity and demand that women make unreasonable sacrifices to avoid sexual assault rape culture exists because we live in a system dominated by patriarchal power with the institutions that develop to support it rape culture pervades every part of our lives mainly young girls and women are told don't drink don't travel alone stick to well-lit streets don't flirt be alert don't wear headphones don't walk in the dark the onus on women to change their law abiding behavior and go out of their way to avoid sexual violence is not only wrong but also creates limitations on women's lives and opportunities and even though women men and children are raped wearing a variety of clothing and there is no evidence suggesting that a person's outfit means that they are more or less likely to be a victim of sexual violence girls and women are still blamed for being a victim of rape or sexual assault if they are wearing a short skirt let's be clear rape predates the miniskirt but one of the pillars of systemic rape culture is the narrative around reporting as things stand it is not the norm to report critics argue that men's lives are so often ruined by fake reports or women's malicious lies but the reality is that most people who have been raped or sexually abused don't tell the police and those who do risk huge repercussions the guardian recently reported that less than 2 of reported rapes lead to a charge in england and wales this is a catastrophe this is a statement that we don't view sexual abuse and sexual violence as a serious crime and we are happy for perpetrators to walk free and re-offend time and time again so where does systemic rape culture begin in england even though schools have their own safeguarding procedures and even though they are told that they should report concerns about a child's welfare there is no general legal requirement on those working with children to report known or suspected child abuse or neglect in a government consultation document in 2016 the possible introduction of a statutory mandatory reporting duty was discussed this duty would require specified practitioners or organizations to report child abuse or neglect if they knew or had reasonable cause to suspect it was taking place with sanctions for failure to report mandatory reporting was dismissed as ineffective by respondents who argued it would divert attention from the most serious child abuse cases and that mandatory reporting may discourage children from coming forward we need to reject these reasons these reasons are intensifying the problem the question we need to be asking is why why would mandatory reporting discourage children from coming forward it's because reporting isn't safe victims aren't believed and the criminal justice system often shames and blames victims with a majority of child sexual abuse cases being committed by someone known to the child often a family member perpetrators are often given priority over the protection of the child heightening the power imbalance between victim and perpetrator even more children are so often told to think about the potential family fallout when the topic of reporting comes up let's be clear it is not the victim's responsibility to think about the family fallout a victim of child sexual abuse should feel no guilt for a crime that they were the victim of this guilt shame and responsibility is for the perpetrator to carry so if mandatory reporting may discourage children from coming forward then the answer isn't to continue a system where children are terrified to report these horrific crimes against them it isn't to continue a system where reporting is so traumatizing that victims are better off keeping it to themselves the answer is to change the system and make reporting safe so that all children who are victims of this crime can trust the criminal justice system to do just that fight for justice we won't change the statistics around sexual violence unless we strive for mandatory reporting in schools where systemic rape culture begins it's about changing the culture and acknowledging that sexual abuse and sexual violence is a crime it's about fighting for a society that isn't okay with perpetrators of child sexual abuse and sexual violence walking free mandatory reporting in schools would save lives and we need to fight for the safety of every child we have then created a narrative for adults that purports to support survivors when in fact it is protecting rapists and promoting impunity adult survivors are often told to not report with many people saying well reporting isn't for everyone or what's the point it won't lead to anything we need to make it so that there is a point we need to make it so that reporting is safe we need to train our institutions so that victims are acknowledged listen to believed so that victims aren't judged blamed or invalidated so that our response places all responsibility on the perpetrator in the uk we are openly discussing mental health more and beginning to break the stigma around mental health yet for victims of child sexual abuse and sexual violence crimes that impact victims mental health in a huge way with many victims suffering lifelong ptsd and other mental health difficulties we are yet to scratch the surface in breaking the stigma if we use our voices and share our stories then we're told well not all men rape or not all men sexually assault this statement not all men completely misses the point the statement not all men is a way to turn a blind eye to the huge numbers of children and adults who are sexually harassed assaulted and raped every year the statement not all men is unhelpful and highlights how people are more interested in discrediting and dismissing the voice of survivors then talking about the violent and discrimination mainly women and children face there are millions of victims living in the uk today who are having to deal with their responses to trauma on their own who have been shamed and blamed for being a victim of a crime under-reporting of sexual abuse and sexual violence is a national crisis and a key pillar of systemic rape culture in the uk only when reporting is safe and therefore becomes the norm will we save lives and begin to dismantle rape culture