Such a good point. I think it is all about how we talk about things and that needs to start really, really early on.
So many things can be traced back to expectations, sometimes we are barely conscious of these. These can then affect women and men extremely negatively regardless of gender.
Ps Just wanted to add to this, in the age of Instagram a strange shift is happening. Whilst previously the saying ‘men watch and women watch themselves being watched’ applied (well okay it still does apply) now it seems lots of men are also actively participating in this and in a sense objectifying themselves.
So there you have it, lots of people taking selfies as the world burns around them!
Hang on a second, it is the other way around, the majority of people imprisoned for violent offences (etc) are men - that is an unpleasant truth, but it doesn’t mean the majority of men are imprisoned for violent offences.
I was listening to Lord Armstrong this morning who was an advisor on terrorism and one of the points he was making is that there are pointers to men becoming terrorists, one of them being domestic violence.
It was me who put that badly, but yes it is those who are imprisoned in cases in more liberal societies.
Boris said “What on earth is that going to do to protect the public now?”.
The questions are: how does society reduce / eliminate sexual abuse? How does society support victims?
I attended a training course on sexual abuse. One example the speaker presented was that of a mother who had been abused. The mother “managed” physical contact of her children and witheld any “loving” contact! Is that not abuse?
The general point here is how is society best served - pursuing historic investigations, or focusing on the present?
Recall reaction to Sarah Champion, MP for Rotherham
Unfortunately the Police are totally inept.
They believed the ‘Nick’ character, even when he said that a former Chief of the General Staff was at a sex party on Armistice Day!
Just how much hurt and fear did they cause to innocent people just by not properly investigating his accusations?
How much did it cost the taxpayer?
Appalling.
Sorry but I can’t go along with that. A complaint was made and had to be investigated. Just suppose that Nicks complaint had some substance and the police said ‘ go away good boy ‘ then the truth came out there would be uproar. It isn’t a case of the police believing or disbelieving they investigate and find evidence , it then goes to the CPS who decide if it is going to court and what actual charges will be brought. If it goes to court then it goes before a jury of ones peers and it is up to the prosecution to prove guilt not the defence innocence
Nellie, they never investigated the veracity of his complaints.
They took him at face value.
How would you feel if a complaint like that was made against one of your family and they never bothered to see if their was any substance to it?
The police have a duty to investigate complaints, but they also have a duty to protect innocent people from false accusations and they failed spectacularly.