Content warning: In this episode we discuss sexual assault and intimate partner violence, as well as survivors of sexual assault navigating reporting and trial.
Stare Indecisis sits down with Camas Ussery, an author in Volume 27 of Appeal (published Spring 2022). We discuss Camas’ paper, “The Myth of the Ideal Victim: Combatting Misconceptions of Expected Demeanour in Sexual Assault Survivors” and how the myth of the ideal victim can prejudice a trier of fact to view survivors as non-credible witnesses at trial.
Highlights
00:03:11 – What Is the Ideal Victim Myth?
00:04:58 – How is the myth used?
00:06:40 – The Myth and the Courtroom
00:07:50 – Trauma and Demeanour
00:09:16 – The Duty of Lawyers and Judges
Here are some resources in the event that you or someone you know has experience sexual assault and would like to speak to a qualified individual.
Ending Violence Canada provides a list of sexual assault centres and crisis lines that are organized by region and specific need: endingviolencecanada.org/sexual-assault-centres-crisis-lines-and-support-services/
The Vancouver Island Crisis Line : 1-888-494-3888
They can connect to the Victoria Sexual Assault Centre.
Victoria Sexual Assault Centre directly at 250-383-3232 or VSAC.ca
Take Care.