EDITORIAL: Danny adds insult to injury
Rape can bring shame and stigma upon even the most confident of women, deepening the silence
Danny Jordaan has at last spoken about the rape accusation made against him 10 days ago, and his statement adds insult to injury. The injury — his refusal to publicly engage and instead to say he will see his accuser in court — makes it clear that Jordaan either misunderstands the nature of rape or that he is pretending to. Rape is seldom an offence that is proven in court. That is the point about rape: a court can seldom unpack and lay bare the power relations at play that result in sexual violence. A rape trial very often comes down to his word against hers; in this context a court is seldom able to prove guilt beyond reasonable doubt. And this is assuming the case has made it to court in the first place. Victims of rape — mostly women but also men — frequently face opposition in reporting rape from friends and family, from the police who should protect them and from the officers of the court, who should not judge them. They also face opposition from themselves. As rapists are oft...
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