I found this piece incredibly distressing. Ireland's court system needs to be thoroughly overhauled when it comes to prosecuting rape.
This is the headline:
Alleged rape victim arrested in Ireland for refusal to testify. Eastern European woman was told by judge to stand in front of three accused and point out her alleged assailants.
The victim was forced to stand in front of the accused and identify them.
But that wasn't all.
The men, who have not been named for legal reasons, were acquitted last week of rape, false imprisonment and assault. But campaigners have condemned the treatment of the woman, who was told by the judge, Mr Justice Paul Carney, to stand directly in front of the three accused and point out her alleged assailants.
The woman, who is from eastern Europe, became so distressed that lawyers later complained they had feared she might collapse in court. When she failed to appear in court the next day, a warrant was issued for her arrest.
Police officers found the woman at her home, where she had apparently attempted suicide, but after receiving medical treatment she was arrested and spent a day in the jail cells of Dublin's Four Courts
Yes, she was put in jail. The victim was put on trial. In the interim she also attempted suicide.
Read more about it here in The Guardian.
"One of the main reasons for this high fallout rate is because complainants decide not to put themselves through what they say is a re-victimising experience."
And based on personal experience and anecdotal data, 90% of rapes and sexual assaults go unreported exactly for these reasons.
Shame on you Ireland!
