**CONTENT WARNING: Rape, Sexual Assault** Does Irish Media reinforce rape culture?

Disclaimer: In 2013 the Rape Crisis Network found that 98% of Irish perpetrators in sexual assault cases were male. (p27) I am not ignoring the fact that one in 10 Irish men will experience sexual assault in their life but as the media routinely reports on situations with male rapists and a female victim I will be talking specifically using similar examples.

The Marshall University Women’s Centre defines rape culture as “…an environment in which rape is prevalent and in which sexual violence against women is normalized and excused in the media and popular culture.” (n.pag) In 2013 only 64% of people reported a sexual violence encounter. (Rape Crisis Network Ireland, p21) Following the recent rape trial in Belfast, it is extremely understandable as to why people do not report these crimes.

Victims know that if they do have the courage to speak up their sexual history will be displayed to the courts and possibly the public. Furthermore, with the lack of convictions for rapists, there is a sense that there is no point for victims to bother going through the trauma of the arduous trial and seeing their rapist again. (Brennan and Conlon, n.pag)

In Ireland, we live in a nation where the media paints white male rapists as "doting father" (Feehan, n.pag) In 2009, Danny Foley was convicted of sexually assaulting his victim who was drugged and found by Gardaí in an alleyway, naked from the waist down, semi-conscious, covered in cuts and bruises, whilst Foley was crouching over her. (Lucey, n.pag)

Father Sean Sheehy, the parish priest called Foley’s seven-year sentence a “miscarriage of justice”. The priest was then allowed on national radio to say he didn’t “want to make any judgement on her [Foley’s victim] at all, she’s the mother of a young child as well and, you know, that in itself doesn’t look great.”

I find it abhorrent that a member of the Catholic Church has slut shamed a woman, who is not married and has a child. Specifically, a woman who has been through an inordinate amount of trauma and never “asked” to be raped.

It is estimated that out of 1000 rapists, shockingly only 3 will be incarcerated in America. (RAINN, n.pag) By placing unmarried mothers in Magdalene Laundries, the church taught us to be wary of sexually expressive women. Although Catholic following has diminished as a nation their teachings are unfortunately still ingrained in our head and continue to influence the media in the way in which they report on rape cases.

Works Cited

Brennan, Declan and Conlon, Declan. “No jail for man who raped his girlfriend up to 10 times while she slept” The Journal, 13th July 2015 http://www.thejournal.ie/no-jail-man-raped- girlfriend-sleeping-2213948-Jul2015/ Accessed 19th April 2018.

Feehan, Conor. “You would never have suspected anything about his past’ – Locals in shock after GAA club man and doting father is jailed for rape of family of seven children.” Independent.ie, 25th Mar. 2017 https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/courts/you-would-never-have-suspected-anything-about-his-past-locals-in-shock-after-gaa-club-man-and-doting-father-is-jailed-for-rape-of-family-of-seven-children-35563956.html Accessed 19th April 2018

Lucey, Anne. “The sex case that divided a town and shocked a watching nation.” Independent.ie, 20th Dec. 2009, https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/the-sex-case-that-divided-a-town-and-shocked-a-watching-nation-26593097.html Accessed 19th April 2018

“National Rape Crisis Statistics 2013” Rape Crisis Network Ireland, http://www.rcni.ie/wp-content/uploads/RCNI-National-Statistics-2013.pdf Accessed 19th April 2018.

“Rape Culture” Marshall University Women’s Center, http://www.marshall.edu/wcenter/sexual-assault/rape-culture/ Accessed 19th April 2018.

“The Criminal Justice System: Statistics” RAINN, 2015 https://www.rainn.org/statistics/criminal-justice-system Accessed on 19th April 2018.