An issue related to women's rights that I care deeply about is domestic violence and rape. To start off this blog I should start by telling my story:
When I was a junior in high school, I dated a boy from another school. Altogether, the relationship lasted about a year, which was way too long. The summer after junior year he sort of moved me into his family's house. When I moved in, so did the abuse. I was too afraid to tell anyone, so I stayed with him until October. One day, it all became too much. I took back what he had stolen from me: my voice. The time after the break up was miserable because I was too afraid to leave my house. I filed for a Protection From Abuse order (PFA) and had a court hearing set up. I had no idea what would happen at the court hearing until I was caught up in it.
An article on abcnews.com, published January 12, 2011, tells of an accused rapist in Florida and his hearing. The accused, Luis Munuzuri-Harris, decided to defend himself without the aid of a lawyer. What most people don't know is that the defendant, the accused rapist, has an opportunity to cross-examine the victim with or without a lawyer. This was the surprise I had in store at my court hearing. Harris questioned the victim for two full hours, asking very personal questions about the night of the assault. The judge eventually told Harris it was unnecessary to take such a long time between questions and ask such irrelevant questions as "whether she wore underwear".
Another article about this hearing on change.org tells of the many women who refuse to relive the rape by answering questions from the man who allegedly committed the assault. Some even threaten to commit suicide instead. Many women drop the charges because they can't go through with the questioning. It seems completely ridiculous to put a victim through that, and I know from experience. When someone who knows every last detail about the rape asks you, "Did you want to have sex with the man you say raped you?" it is hard not to run out on the hearing. Rape and domestic violence is something a victim will never be able to forget, so why is it alright to have the victim questioned by the rapist?
http://womensrights.change.org/blog/view/accused_rapist_cross-examines_his_victim_then_wants_lawyer_after_all
http://abcnews.go.com/US/accused-rapist-cross-examines-alleged-victim-florida-courtroom/story?id=12600166
I'm very proud of you for standing up for yourself. It's something that I personally don't know if I'd be strong enough to do. Abuse and rape are things that women have always suffered, but with the rights and liberties given to us today, we can use our voices to better stand up for ourselves.
ReplyDeleteFirstly, with regard to the statement "why is it alright to have the victim questioned by the rapist?" each is every person in the US is allowed to refuse legal aid and act as his own lawyer. And it is the lawyers duty to question and cross-examine a witness. And unfortunately part of that job involves asking uncomfortable questions that probe at the truth. The American constitution states that all men are innocent until proven guilty and it is therefore both the prosecutor's and the defendant's lawyer's job to ask those questions.
ReplyDeleteThank you Tori for your support. I also wanted to say that although I don't want to admit it, it is fair for an accused rapist to question the victim if he does not have legal aid. In Harris' case, immediately after his two hours of questioning, he asked for a lawyer, who would then re-question the victim. In ANY case, whether they have legal aid or not, the accused is offered time to ask questions, which I believe is unnecessary. I believe that the lawyer should be the only one asking questions, unless of course there isn't one. It's extremely difficult for the victim to sit and answer questions about the assault when all I wanted to do was stand up and clock him in the face, haha. But I do like your comments.
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