It takes a great deal of courage to make a complaint to the police that one has been sexually assaulted, and a quantum more courage to publicly denounce your assault, forgoing anonymity . I think that Tegan Wagner is a very courageous young woman and I hope that her example emboldens more victims who have been violated by society’s scum bags to find the courage to do like wise in her example.
Tackling the rapists ... Tegan Wagner has given more women the courage to report sex crimes. Picture: Kristi Miller
July 13, 2009 12:00am
CALLS to the rape crisis line have more than doubled as courageous victims taking on their attackers and winning have helped remove the stigma attached to sex assault.
But disturbingly, new figures show that up to four women a week are being gang raped.
Brave young women like Tegan Wagner – who gave up her right to anonymity in order to tell her story and help other victims of rape come forward – have been instrumental in forcing a “cultural shift”.
Bravery breaks rape victim taboo
“I think it’s fantastic that more women are speaking out,” Ms Wagner said yesterday.
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“They now know how empowering it can be.
“I have definitely seen a change in society’s attitude towards sexual assault.”
In the past three years, calls to the NSW Rape Crisis Centre have risen by 130 per cent – from 2927 calls in 2004/05 to 6730 in 2008/09. But the increase does not necessarily point to a rise in actual sexual assaults, Rape Crisis Centre manager Karen Willis said.
“There has been a cultural shift – society views sexual assault differently,” Ms Willis said.
Daily Telegraph
I say Viva the cultural shift, but I also know that it is vital that any assaults have to be reported straight away before the loss of any forensic evidence if a prosecution of offenders is to be successful .
Cheers Comrades
Filed under: Justice, Law, Mysogeny, the Law | Tagged: rape, Tegan Wagner
I applaud this young woman’s spirit, and tenacity.
It cannot have been easy, to take on a system, even though progressively changing, that has been one sided, and male dominated since it’s inception.
Gone, thankfully, are the “she asked for it” defenses, and replacing them, the introduction of a semblance of common sense. Slowly, ( ever so slowly ), going also, are the crusty “old fart”, chauvinistic male judges, that inhabit, or perhaps that should read, slumber, on the benches, that decide these cases.
Forever, the case has always been, that the poor victim, has had to defend herself, against the onslaught of unending character assassinations whilst trying to put her case forward on the witness stand.
Society is changing it’s attitude thank goodness, and it’s about time, Also, the situation is improving for these poor victims, in these cases, but far too slowly for my liking.