Jian Ghomeshi Case Study

The Jian Ghomeshi case is one that Canadians, particularly Canadian women, will not forget anytime soon. With over a dozen women having come forward with allegations of sexual assault against the broadcasting star, and three willing to take their stories to court, there is little doubt in the mind of anyone that these events occurred. Even the Judge William B. Horkins in his verdict stated that though he found Ghomeshi not-guilty on the three counts of sexual assault and one count of strangulation, he is not saying that these women didn’t experience what they did. Understandably, this sparked a continuation of protests that had taken place during the trial with the slogan “I believe her” in support of not only the three women that stepped forward against Ghomeshi but every survivor of sexual assault in Canada. The justice system has never been kind to survivors of sexual assault making people reluctant to report their assaults, but this verdict is a prime example
Complainants in sexual assault cases must relive their trauma in the courtroom while sitting across the room from the person who caused it. This itself can put an enormous strain on the survivor, but on top of that every aspect of their behaviour before, during, and after the assault will be dissected on the stand. If they prove to be anything less than the model victim that is expected of them their credibility will be called into question. What the Ghomeshi case has told survivors is that if they had contact or a relationship with their assaulter after the incident occurred, it will be thrown in their face, and their explanations will fall on deaf ears. If they were romantically and sexually interested in their assaulter before the assault, it will be used to discredit them. Both of these things happened in the Ghomeshi