URGH just when I thought the coalition couldn't possibly shit on women anymore than it already has...

[allthegoodnamesweretaken]

With all the recent attention on Ched Evans and rape myths, I thought I would delve into the new government's attitude towards it, and I found that they are actually supporting annonymity for rape defendants!!!! I thought that this was just some nonsense that rape apologists spouted to try and give their 'lots of women lie about rape' myth some grounding.
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8693832.stm (scroll down to JUSTICE)
To me, this just seems like the government is perpetuating this idea that women lie about rape for kicks and revenge. I don't understand what their angle is on this if it's not 'women do lie about rape and we are protecting innocent men from having their lives ruined by false allagations from said nasty, lying women'
There must be a petition about this somewhere????
How many more women now will be forced to live in silence and shame because the government has made such a bold statement that they shouldn't be believed?
(sorry if there's already been a thread on this, but I have just discovered this and I am furious)

I can see the arguments for protecting the identity of all defendants accused of a crime.

I can't remotely see the arguments for giving this right solely to those accused of rape, however. As you say, it suggests they are somehow more likely to be found innocent than other defendants, which equals an implication that there are lots of false accusations.

here is a link to the London Feminist Network's page about this.

That's great thanks, although I was hoping there was something I could sign? I'm hoping there is a petition somewhere, because as much as I am glad the LFN is sending a letter, it's only on behalf of 1,400 people and I'm sure so many more of us oppose the proposal and would like to sign something to say so.

Isn't this the thing from a couple of years ago? It was successfully stopped. Even my MP, who usually is a disagreeable wet fish, agreed with me on this one.

oooh I hope so (though I will look a right nana...) Looking at it, it was published in 2010 and I can't find any petitions against it, only for :/ So I do hope you're right Alice. I did wonder why more people hadn't mentioned it with all this Ched Evans stuff going on.