In criminal cases, sexual violence has been subjected to a higher standard of evidence than other violent crimes, and a woman’s testimony regarding her own experiences of sexual violence has been treated with particular skepticism. The Post policy on Sonmez’ work raises questions for media, but it also raises questions for our hierarchies of knowledge. The Post’s policy seems to preclude it, at least for sexual violence survivors, and that is to the paper’s detriment. But if anything, the experience of sexual violence makes women who have gone through it not biased, but informed. It grants them a sense of the complexities of sexual violence, and it drives home the impact of the assaults themselves, and of coming forward.

Source: The Guardian March 30, 2021 10:18 UTC