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A Misogynistic System Compounded by a Lack of Trust
With consideration of new laws and reforms, for many activists and advocates, seeing violence against women and girls become a national priority is a huge advancement. However, the lack of trust women and girls now have in the police compromises victims’ ability to seek justice and accountability. Reporting of sexual violence remains low due to issues with low conviction rates and a lack of trauma-informed practices in policing and courts. However, with the recent scandal involving the Metropolitan police being complicit in this behavior, trust has increasingly faded. Timely research by End Violence Against Women found that 1 in 10 women are now less likely to report sexual assault to the police after the kidnap, rape, and murder of Sarah Everard. This demonstrates the scale of damage the Metropolitan police have caused to victim-survivors and their pursuit of justice in addition to the overall mission to end violence against women and girls.
The question as to how misogyny has festered within this system needs urgent clarity and explanation. To me, the root of this problem lies in the lack of accountability compounded with the abuse of power. When a person experiences sexual violence by anyone, the consequences can include feelings of shame, embarrassment, and fear of speaking out. However, when sexual violence is perpetrated by a person in authority these feelings can become even more complex as one is hurt by the system that is taught to protect us.
–“I was scared to say anything, then I tried to back out of it because I thought: ‘This is the police you are dealing with.’
– The Guardian, 2023
Sexual violence perpetrated by Metropolitan police must be viewed as a manipulation of power, and nothing less. Although procedures and policies may set the parameters for protecting women from police violence, it remains rooted in the attitudes towards women and misogyny.
Moreover, it appears that when it comes to policing violence against women and girls, the police lack an overall understanding of its root causes, trauma-informed practices, the scale of the problem, and its emotional and physical impact on the victim-survivor. As was disclosed very recently, the acting Metropolitan Commissioner labeled the bulk of rape complaints against Metropolitan police officers as simply ‘regretful sex’. Again, this not only demonstrates the long-entrenched attitudes toward preventing sexual violence but also the system’s inability to hold itself accountable.
Moving Forward
As the Metropolitan police stumble to protect its credibility, women and victim-survivors simply demand accountability and justice. How can we fix the long-broken system?
Although there are many well-founded abolitionist perspectives that advocate for a community-based approach to providing justice (Read: Alternatives Forms of Justice for Victim-Survivors of Sexual Violence), for many victim-survivors and their process of healing and recovery, it is important to seek legal justice. Therefore, with the current state of the system, it was important to address how we can go about change.
Accountability and sustainable change
First and foremost, it is paramount that the Metropolitan police are held accountable for the actions of these offices and that there is a pledge for change that is consistently monitored by external experts including women’s charities.
Trauma-informed policing
At the moment, charities and women’s rights organizations are dedicated to educating and advocating for trauma-informed ways of working and policing. Although using trauma-informed practices in policing does not tackle the root causes of violence against women yet it does address the seriousness of the matter and take into consideration the effects of violence against women on victim-survivors. For example, Victim Focus “work holistically to assist police forces to embrace truly trauma-informed, anti-oppressive, anti-victim blaming practice that challenges misogyny and sexism.”. It is important to find solutions where victim-survivors feel heard and their experiences validated. By working with trauma-informed methods, victim-survivors of sexual violence may feel more inclined to report their experiences if they believe they will be treated with dignity and respect.
Education and cultural shift
Lastly, as is implied by Victim Focus, misogyny is not a police-specific issue. While it is crucial that conversations and public inquiries surround this misconduct, it is just as important to recognize that misogyny seeps into all other sectors such as healthcare, social care, education, and private companies. It is therefore essential, that ending violence against women in all systems also aligns with ending all forms of discrimination against women. This can only happen with an educational cultural shift in attitudes.
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