Is the Criminal Justice System Letting Women Down?
Although it may be better that ten guilty men are freed rather than one innocent convicted, in reality the number of rapists convicted is more like one in a hundred, according to the NSW Rape Crisis Centre. Social tolerance towards crimes of sexual assault reveals myths, which are embedded within archaic laws. These myths hark back to the false distinction between deserving and underserving victims, placing the onus squarely on victims to prove their innocence within a judicial framework. The adversarial system forces women to relive the trauma again and again. Today, the NSW rape crisis centre organized a rally, calling for judicial reform, in response to the appeal lodged by two Sydney brothers against their convictions for the gang rape of two schoolgirls. Earlier this year, the men were imprisoned after being found guilty of the assault, which took place in 2002. They appealed their conviction today, but lost. She-Fah Szetu spoke to Greens MP and NSW Member of the Legislative Council, Lee Rhiannon, and Labor MP Tanya Plibersek.