Missed this one when it was published back in May last year, but it came to my attention when I was writing about media reporting rape and child abuse as ‘sex’. Brisbane Times, described an adult accused of child abuse of a 9 year old girl as allegedly being in a “sexual relationship” with her. 1800 RESPECT...
A man charged with, to quote the article, “seven counts of rape, 30 counts of carnal knowledge of a child under 16, 26 counts of indecent treatment and one count of making child exploitation material” is not facing charges of having “sex” with children. No one can have “sex” with children. Sex requires consent, children...
It’s very early days yet, but it’s going to be interesting to see how the rampant misogyny that dogged so many female politicians will play out with a Liberal premier. Will she be marked as “unfit for leadership” because she’s “deliberately barren”, as Senator Bill Heffernan said of Julia Gillard? Read the full article on...
GOVERNMENT ministers rorting travel claims have dominated the news over the last few weeks, but the real story is not in embarrassing individual cases of wrongdoing. Delving into data provided by the Department of Finance, news.com.au found parliamentarians claimed over $500 million in expenses between January 2011 and December 2015. That’s more than half a...
Sex requires consent. And consensual sex is not a crime. Underage girls cannot give consent. So it’s not “sex” the dance teacher is accused of, it’s abuse. In the same way that giraffes and calculus are different things, sex and abuse are two very different things. 1800 RESPECT Sexual assault, domestic and family violence counselling...
Jill Saward, one of the trailblazers of activism against rape and sexual violence in the Britain, died last week at the age of 51. Her life and death stand as a testament to the damage men can do to women, and the strength women can show in the face of such injuries. Read the full article...