So in the wake of a massive public spotlight on rape, the priority apparently is to protect the reputations of the tiny % of men falsely accused of rape

You are aware that men rape other men and children as well as women, are you?

Maybe you need to expand on your post to include that fact.

Well, what you wrote was that in rape cases, the person accused of rape is the victim, and they should be protected until conviction.

It is an unusual stance.

You cannot decide everyone that is accussed of rape is guilty because they are a man. You cannot decide that every woman who says she has been raped is telling the truth because she is a woman. you must look at the evidence.

All I Am saying is that it is becoming the norm to presume guilt in rape cases and that is wrong.

I can't help thinking that we should protect the victim and until conviction we don't know if that is the accussed or not.

?

Protect victims of rape = good plan.
What does that have to do with people accused of rape? That almost reads as if, when a person complains of rape to the police, if it gets to the stage where someone is arrested and prosecuted, the victim in proceedings is the arrested party. So for a different crime. Eg a child is rescued from forced work, the victim in the scenario is the person prosecuted for enslaving the child. Is that what you meant? Clarification would be good.

The other argument against anonymity for the accused of rape would be that it sets rape apart from other violent crimes. But why on earth should it be seen as a special case of violence??? Wait, I know the answer: it's a violent crime against mainly women, that's not "real" violence in our patriarchy. There seems to be violence against men on the one hand, and violence against women which we have called domestic violence or intimate partner violence or sexual violence.

Someone will come up and point out very usefully that domestic violence etc can happen to men as well. True. My point is that is because it mainly affects women, it has a different status, which is most likely not to the victim's advantage. Giving people accused of rape (mainly men) a special status (anonymity) strengthens this weird notion that sexual violence is a special case of violence even in the legal system.

It's late, sorry if this isn't terribly coherent, but I'm sure some of you will get my point.

apple1234 re: male supremacist society - more than 2 women every weekare killed by current or ex-partners - that's more than soldiers in Afghanistan. This govt is cutting refuges and social housing for women to move to. Women's Aid say that paying Universal Credit to one family member, usually the man, will lead to financial & emotional abuse and domestic violence

Sorry you had a horrible experience WW. You were brave to go to court

sorry, did not

Sorry, just thought it was a difficult thing to go through alone but I can see what you mean.

They told her she could not have therapy! Well good thing she did have a broken leg (no to hospital treatment). We live in a mad world.

Why would I ever what anyone to know what happened to me.

I went ahead with taking it to court because I feared that he would meet some other young girl and do the same to them. I meet him at 18 and had a 5 year marriage. The assault I reported was not the worse he did to me but I could not face saying out loud the rest. Don't think I ever will.

The police were great to me looked after me really well, but like many over survivors talking about it was what would have stopped me reporting it.

@TheDoctrineOfSciAndNatureClub

Thankyou for correction. Sorry for ignorance, but is there not a different legal name/term given to the alleged rape victim and the policewomen ie are they really all termed witnesses ?

Will check out Rape Crisis info thinks. So far everyone talking about it but only seen small case research. Off to have a read. Thanks

yes, it's the Crown against the accused

wonderwoman that sounds harrowing, why did you ban your friends/family from court? To protect them? Hope you had someone on your side, even victim support.

Someone is accusing someone else if pointing finger and accusation at them.

So most crimes where one person is naming another there is an accuser and the accused.

A person reports someone for punching them in the face. There are no witnesses, that person is accusing??

The zebra, do social services really take the children of men who are charged with rape (presumably of someone outside the family unit)
before the case goes to court? Can you post links to any such cases?

Trekkie's post of 20:21 was spot on.

Also, can folks please remember that it isn't accuser vs accused, it is the CPS who chooses to bring the case and the victim is a witness, along with other witnesses eg the policewoman who took her statement and the doctor who examined her.

I had my bag stolen. I made a ppolice report. If the person had been caught, my statement might have been read out in court to establish that i was in the bar at the same time as the thief, or I might have had to testify if i or the police felt I could identify the thief. But I wouldn't have been the accuser - the police would have gathered sufficient evidence to arrest, charge and then prosecute the case.

@wonderwoman2012
Great question !

Yes apple, do start a different thread on it, maybe in Chat, it would be interesting to see what others (not only feminists) think. I see no evidence that we live in a male supremacist society btw, and I most definitely do not see that men's lives are more valued.

I think there is an argument for anonimity for people accused of a tranche of serious crimes - sexual assault, rape, murder, people trafficking - all of the serious crimes against people rather than property I guess.

I have heard more people argue that anonimity should be in place for people accused up until they are charged, than all the way to conviction.

I am not sure what I think - I can see the argument for anonimity for people accused of certain crimes but I worry about missing out on other witnesses/victims because of it.

I would absolutely disagree with any move to change the rules for people accused of rape but not of other crimes, and could be persuaded to go on a march about it if someone agreed to look after the children.

Just wondering if anybody know if people have been asked if they don't report rape because of they believe they will not be believed or they think not enough evidence or they can't face talking to people about it, let alone going to court.

My assault was by my ex husband and I only reported it to the police because when I fled the house for help half naked as he looked for a kitchen knife he dropped, my kids were still in the house up stairs.

I would never have chosen to tell anyone. Only two members of my family know some of the details. I ban everyone I know from court. Went on my own.

My question is has there been real valid research into why women don't report?