Depp-Heard trial amplified ‘men are believable, women are liars’ assumptions

By Sujata Srinivasan,

Published June 8, 2022 at 8:05 AM EDT

Photo of a woman lying on a bed. Part of the National Domestic Violence Hotline campaign to create a public awareness campaign over the COVID-19 isolation of victims with their abusers. — The NO MORE Foundation teamed up with the National Domestic Violence Hotline to create a public awareness campaign over the COVID-19 isolation of victims with their abusers.

The misogyny surrounding the Amber Heard-Johnny Depp trial has horrified advocates for survivors of intimate partner violence.

This hour on Where We Live, we look at implications for survivors and the setback to the #MeToo movement. We hear from a survivor on how coping mechanisms can look like emotional detachment, and why it’s misleading to judge a survivor on appearances.

We acknowledge that male victims could feel silenced by this conversation and point to national statistics – 1 in 4 women, and 1 in 9 men experience severe intimate partner violence. And 1 in 7 women and 1 in 25 men have been injured by an intimate partner; 1 in 10 women have been raped by an intimate partner. Data is unavailable on male victims. This hour, we focus on the cultural assumptions pertaining to male versus female claims of domestic violence.

We also look at data on the creation of new, fake social media accounts spreading disinformation in this trial, and what tech companies must do to regulate their social media platforms.

This show is not suitable for some listeners.

If you or someone you know is experiencing intimate partner violence, call, text, chat, or email 24/7 CTSafeConnect at 888-774-2900

Resources

Mayo Clinic – Recognize Domestic Violence Patterns Against Women
United Way – What is domestic violence?
Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence – Domestic violence 24/7 crisis center. Call 888-774-2900 CTSafeConnect
Interval House – Call 24/7 hotline 888-774-2900
WomensLaw.org – Domestic violence shelters, lawyers, courthouses in Connecticut
A summary of Connecticut domestic violence laws

GUESTS:

A survivor of intimate partner violence: Anonymous for safety reasons

Meghan Scanlon: President & CEO, Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence

Sree Sreenivasan: Social and digital expert at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism

Hillary Haldane: Professor of Anthropology, Quinnipiac University; Member, Connecticut Council on Sexual Misconduct Climate Assessments

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