The case of a 15 year old girl raped by 18 year old Patrick Faulkner at a Limerick birthday party caused outrage last week after defence counsel raised the victim's clothing choices in court.
Speaking to the Irish Examiner, representatives from women's rights groups called for guidelines to be introduced in relation to 'victim blaming' in rape and sexual assault case.
This is not the first time this issue has arisen. In 2018, protests erupted after a Cork defence barrister held up the complainant's underwear in court. The #thisisnotconsent campaign was reported internationally, but no legal change ensued.
Reporter Ann Murphy has been covering the response to this case and she joins Deirdre on today's episode to discuss victim blaming, sexual assault cases, and the various campaigns underway to make the court proceedings less traumatic for victims. Ann has also been writing about the lack of Sexual Assault Treatment Unit in Limerick city – another difficulty facing complainants there.
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