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Reader discretion is advised: the following article contains mentions of rape and other acts of sexual violence.
As a woman, I have been constantly hyper-aware of the impacts of my female body within society since a very young age – indisputably, far too young.
At 13, I should not have been worrying about whether my school uniform would be sexualised.
At 14, I should not have been concerned about what the boys from the school opposite mine would think about me.
At 16, I should not have lost my bodily autonomy at the hands of a man with despicable intentions.
At 18, I should not have been worried that I would get spiked with a needle in my arm when going out with friends.
It is because of this that I, along with many other women, get so rightfully upset when we see the attempts of Governments and Courts to police our bodies. This especially comes true following the recent victory and resultant re-election of Donald Trump, who can be seen to continuously go above and beyond to strip women of their rights.
Unnecessary questions and comments like ‘what were you wearing?’ and ‘…but you’re a feminist?’ are just two of the many myths that Court Judges have been seen to hold when trialling rape cases – as if they are of any relevance to the traumatic circumstances endured. Furthermore, since the overturning of Roe v Wade in 2022, an international debate has been sparked regarding how much power Governments should hold over female bodies. To myself, and the vast majority, there is only one logical and obvious answer – they should not be able to decide those things for us. The laws should protect us, and government institutions should advocate for us. And yet, very little is currently being done to reinforce these sentiments.
Even in the case of abortion – illegal ones still occur, arguably to an even more considerable extent. Consequently, recent statistics report that, the rates of abortion around the world are over-reported and over-policed, and they have been since the overturning of Roe v Wade in the United States.
It may not seem like it at first glance, but the decisions that the Courts and Governments hold over women’s bodies – such as those regarding abortion, rape, or anything else that objectively does not concern them at all, are inherently political.
These are decisions that will continue to leave women traumatised for as long as they continue.
Thus, we should continue to hold our Government Representatives to account as much as we would with any other issue. This is a global problem that goes back centuries before women got the right to vote in 1918, or before marital rape was criminalised in 1992. Yet, when only just over 1% of rape cases reported result in conviction (and this is just in the UK alone), the average human being would begin to wonder what happens to the other 99%.
It should go without saying that the psychological, social, and economic impacts of this are detrimental, reaching far into international territories, despite their origin point. Isolation, shame, and mental health problems are at the core of what happens to survivors of sexual violence. Yet, the risks of life-long trauma and flashbacks are not enough of a concern for 21st century Governments and Courts. This is where I question – what else will it take? Women are already dying at the hands of men, and often, these men are even sometimes men in positions of significant power – as seen in, for example, the murder of Sarah Everard by Police Officer Wayne Couzens, in 2021.
Even before the reversal of Roe v Wade in America, right-wing governments in Poland attempted to ban all means of abortion within the country’s borders, with many women crossing the border to nearby countries, such as Germany, in fear of the safety and privacy of the near impossible to get procedures. This was in the year 2020 – and if the general public is not yet outraged that cases of Courts and Governments attempting to control women’s bodies are still occurring, I wonder what else has to happen for them to realise the harms of it.
The 2020s are incredibly damaging and dangerous in terms of what it means to be a woman. Trans-women are constantly at the core of hate crimes from Members of Parliament, with ex-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak being a notable contributor of transphobic comments. Women from Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic Communities are told to push their complaints aside upon the Government’s introduction of the Hate Crime (Misogyny) Bill. It is becoming increasingly difficult for women to exist, and it is even worse to see that there is seemingly very little we can do to change this.
We want proactivity, and we want visible justice – whether it is regarding rape or abortion, hate crimes or any other matter – we no longer want another promise to introduce measures that will ensure the Courts prosecute rape cases appropriately, or Governments backing down on abortion bans. The current UK Labour Government was elected on their manifesto pledge and slogan of “Change”.
To this day, I am not sure where their priorities lie regarding providing safety and the provision of full, bodily autonomy for females.
There is surprise over why it is that women often do not come forward about sexual abuse, but when their abuser later becomes President and later still, President-Elect of the United States of America – one of the most powerful nations of the world.
Why is anyone surprised?
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