Rape/Culture

Did you know that the rules in rape courts are different in Ireland? Unlike in the rest of the UK, judges aren't obliged to inform jurors in cases of sexual violence about the dangers of believing rape myths . This needs to change, according to an Irish expert on sexual offences. Dr Susan Leahy (author of Sexual Offending in Ireland: Laws, Procedures and Punishments) has said that Irish judges should receive guidance on how to warn juries about prejudicial stereotypes and myths - for example, any woman flashing so much as an ankle bone must be 'asking for it', or the idea that if you're not a virgin you're clearly up for anything. 
 She's quoted in the Irish Times as saying: “When they’re in the courtroom with the wigs and gowns, jurors can get distracted from the issue of consent with issues like ‘didn’t she behave foolishly’ or ‘God should she really have drunk that much.’” 
 Instructions from a judge could “bring the jury back to reality. Before the...

Ah my university days... I spent hours reading in my little dorm room, wandering my adoptive city (Liverpool) and dancing all night to music I couldn't stand (The Killers were at their height). Oh, and, of course, being felt up by men in clubs. Having my bum squeezed at the bar, a creeping hand slide around my waist, or my chest brushed as I walked to the toilet was, for me, as much of a university experience as hangovers and Hollyoaks. In fact, age has nothing to do with it - it was happening when I was 16, and even now in my 30s I've been grabbed on a night out. The most recent time was out with my husband, even though he had his arm around me. (Secretly I was quite pleased about that one, because I am always trying to explain to him how common this creepy behaviour is, and it made me feel weirdly justified.) Basically anytime I've been somewhere dark, with music playing, drinks flowing and strangers around, my body has been quite literally up for grabs. I mean - w...