By Mike Buchanan, J4MB: At 9pm tomorrow evening I shall be involved in a radio discussion with a woman representing the British organisation Women Against Rape, which was founded in 1976. The discussion will be in connection with the Ched Evans case, and whether it was appropriate for the court to allow evidence of the woman’s sexual history to be presented to the jury. I plan to publish a blog post at 8pm tomorrow informing followers of this blog what the show is, along with a phone number so they can contribute to the phone-in (21:15 – 21:30).
My preparations so far have included WAR’s 60-page-long Self-Help Guide for survivors of rape & sexual assault & their supporters. Turning to the section on ‘Consent, Drink & Drugs’, on p.31 we find this:
If you are sure you didn’t consent but are unable to remember clearly what happened before you went to sleep, make clear that, at the time when the man penetrated you, you were asleep or unconscious and unable to consent. [WAR’s emphasis]
The first section, up to ‘went to sleep’, begs the question of how a woman can be sure she didn’t give consent to sex, when she cannot remember clearly what happened. Leaving that to one side, the remainder of the advice is shocking, and amounts to recommending to women that they pervert the course of justice, a criminal offence.
My preparations so far have included WAR’s 60-page-long Self-Help Guide for survivors of rape & sexual assault & their supporters. Turning to the section on ‘Consent, Drink & Drugs’, on p.31 we find this:
If you are sure you didn’t consent but are unable to remember clearly what happened before you went to sleep, make clear that, at the time when the man penetrated you, you were asleep or unconscious and unable to consent. [WAR’s emphasis]
The first section, up to ‘went to sleep’, begs the question of how a woman can be sure she didn’t give consent to sex, when she cannot remember clearly what happened. Leaving that to one side, the remainder of the advice is shocking, and amounts to recommending to women that they pervert the course of justice, a criminal offence.