[Content note: sexual violence, police inaction]
Other bloggers have already posted pretty comprehensive reviews of the second IPCA report into the Roastbusters debacle. As summarised by Danyl at Dim-Post:
Seven different complainants came forward and named same same three attackers, which is supposed to trigger something called a ‘Mass Allegation Investigation’ to address serial abuse by the same offenders or groups of offenders. Instead the police just looked at each case on an individual basis, decided it wasn’t worth prosecuting – because they didn’t understand the damn law – and then went around assuring each other that none of the victims wanted to lay a complaint – which was false – and that officers had talked to the boys and their parents, which none of them ever actually bothered to do.
Idiot/Savant at No Right Turn notes:
“At-risk sexual behaviour, alcohol abuse, and parental supervision” is apparently considered grounds for a CYFS referral in girls, but not boys. That’s a toxic mindset right there.
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And through all of this, there’s an obvious question: if the police were so crap at investigating these cases, are they also crap at others? How many other rapists are going free because police just can’t be arsed doing their jobs properly?
And of course all the officers involved have kept their jobs.
Melulater covers the report, its implications for our societal attitudes to sexual violence, and the urgent debate in Parliament yesterday in which many women MPs spoke very well and every male MP except the responsible Minister decided to take a long lunch break.
… as a society, we fail these girls if this report is allowed to languish on a dusty shelf in parliament’s library. As a society we have to demand action from our law makers and law enforcement to ensure that victims are supported and protected and further harm is not inflicted.
I thoroughly endorse her link to Rockstar Dinosaur Pirate Princess’ illustration of consent using a cup of tea.
The thing that gets me really angry about where this case has gone – beyond the fact that a pack of predatory little shits were allowed to assault people with impunity, beyond the fact their victims will probably never get any kind of justice, beyond the fact that this happens again and again exactly the same way and we never seem to make any progress – is that once again, even in the face of an utterly damning report which criticises the police’s handling of this case at every level … effectively, nothing happens.
Despite the fact that trained, specialist detectives whose one job was to investigate the abuse of children were apparently less capable to do so than anyone who’s watched a half-dozen episodes of Law & Order. Despite the fact that anyone in New Zealand with an internet connection could find the evidence of the young men bragging about illegal activities with a two-minute Googling.
Those cops go on with their lives. We’re left in the dark as to how many other rape and abuse cases were mishandled, how many other bragging predators were not only allowed to walk free, but got a clear message: you will not be punished for your actions. We don’t care what you do to underage girls. They’re not even important enough for us to take notice when they want to make complaints.
The NZ Police’s latest recruitment campaign uses the tagline “Do something extraordinary.” Unfortunately, it seems like it really would be extraordinary for them to do their goddamned jobs and investigate rape properly.
Stephanie Rodgers 