Are the CPS (Crown Prosecution Service) and police star-struck? It seems so, when they dig up something, in the case of Evans, that happened ten years ago, and when witnesses are surprised to find themselves giving evidence in court. This isn’t an entirely British phenomenon either. In Paris, the young women ‘victims’ of John Galliano told me they never intended their accusations to lose him his job, let alone land him in court.
The only answer is for defendants in sexual abuse cases to remain anonymous, their identity only revealed if they are found guilty. The argument against doing so is that other victims will not come forward, but to me this is ludicrous – you either were assaulted or you were not. Men accused and cleared of rape or sexual assault will never be able to have a normal life again: there is always the lingering suspicion there was no smoke without fire. We used to immerse witches in ponds. We are now doing the same thing to men.
If a man puts his hand on you, or flirts, or is lascivious, you tell him to bugger off, and report it at the time, but only if you really, really believe him to be dangerous. These women who feel so affronted need to put whatever happened, or they think happened, behind them, and get on with their lives. Ghastly things happen to all of us. Digging up events that happened decades ago is not useful. Instead, we need to empower young women: encourage them to speak up for themselves, to demand respect, to be unafraid, to reclaim the night. Don’t dress like a prostitute, or be too drunk to know what you are doing, but beyond that, live your lives. Stop being victims.
