What’s up in Westminster?
Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott says rape victims shouldn’t be subjected to ‘digital strip searches’ and young people need better sex education.
We’ve got to make changes
to how rape complaints are treated. I was so shocked when a form was introduced asking rape complainants to hand over their phone to police or risk having their cases dropped. There’s been a worrying drop in the number of rape cases that lead to a charge, so this is really dangerous. It risks frightening victims away from reporting rapes even more. Women – because it is usually women – have said it feels like a digital strip search.
Everything they find in that phone,
other than messages between the complainant and the accused, is irrelevant. Whatever else is there will be used to smear that woman’s character. It’s the same as assuming a woman was raped because she was wearing a short skirt or there’s proof she flirted with someone.
We need to review the use of these forms,
narrow their focus and be clearer on how long this material is kept. I’ve heard phone data is kept for seven years – that’s ridiculous. I’ve raised this with ministers and Labour is campaigning on it. Generally, women are more vulnerable to gender-based violence than ever before now, because of online stalking and sexual harassment.
To counter the effects of young people
having access to so much online, we also need better sex education in schools. Guys ask girls for nude pictures then send them all over the place; they learn about sex by watching hard-core porn. When I speak to organisations like Brook sexual health clinics, they say most young people don’t understand the notion of consent.
Meanwhile, Westminster feels
a bit like a school playground at the moment. You can’t turn a corner without seeing a plotting huddle of Tory MPS. The last time I remember it like this was when the Tories were plotting to get rid of Thatcher – I was an MP then and it was the same excitable hysteria. The fact Donald Trump is backing Boris to be the next Tory leader says everything about Johnson. The level of vitriol thrown at women in Westminster is something that’s really concerning these days.
Trolls say things online
– particularly to black, female MPS – they’d never say to your face. We need to look at the question of anonymity on social media and in the comment sections of websites. Everyone should post under pseudonyms, but whoever manages the site should have your real name and details. I get rape and death threats every day and we can never track the people down. I used to go everywhere on my own; now my staff make an effort to accompany me to places where I didn’t require a chaperone before.