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The Dominion
April 28, 1997
Speaking up against rape
by Val Aldridge
High-profile Rape Crisis spokeswoman
Toni Allwood has handed over the job to Ceridwyn Roberts. They talk to Val
Aldridge about their work
Fear, curiosity, gossip. Without these news ain't news. The notice, starkly
printed black on white, is pinned over the desk of Ceridwyn Roberts, the new
national spokeswoman for Rape Crisis; an ever-present reminder that at times
in her new job she'll be in for a rough ride.
Rape education is a touchy issue, where the messenger can get blamed for the
message, and Ms Roberts, 26, has inherited the mantle of messenger from Toni
Allwood, who, four months ago, stood down as spokeswoman after four years.
That's Toni (women-never-lie-about-rape) Allwood. Toni says, "I never
ever said that." And yet it's been repeated so often that now it is
commonly believed she did.
Of course, there are occasions when women lie about rape, she says, "but
there is no evidence that women make false allegations about rape any more
than false allegations are made in any other area of criminal
offending".
Ms Allwood got a lot of hate mail, particularly after the 60 Minutes story on
Nick Wills (the Waikato man whose conviction
of rape on false evidence was eventually quashed).
"I knew it wasn't a live interview and it would be cut so I repeatedly
expressed my sympathy for anybody who was falsely accused. But that wasn't
how they wanted me portrayed," she says.
"What was painful was the public took it as read that I was a rabid,
man-hating, women-never-lie-about-rape person. Those who had the courage to
ring me or put an address on their letters all changed their stance when I
was able to explain what I did say."
Ms Roberts says the things that happened to Ms Allwood are part of the job.
"I haven't had time to build up the defences that Toni has and, yeah,
that scares me a little bit, but I think it is part of the organisation. We
are out there doing feminist work and people do find that threatening. They
turn that against us sometimes."
The women say that the recent vicious gang-rape by teenagers in Auckland and the much-publicised sexual harassment on
the frigate Wellington
are the tip of the iceberg.
They say that 95 per cent of Rape Crisis's everyday work involves "ordinary"
incidents -- the violation of a girl by her uncle, the rape of a woman by her
ex-partner, a teenager forced into sex at a party.
Ms Allwood says that whatever Rape Crisis says, it will be greeted by
scepticism, if not downright hostility, by a large part of the population.
Mostly men.
"The old Lord Hailsham dictum that rape is an accusation easily made and
difficult to defend still haunts us. The notion that a rape complainant is in
some way culpable in a way that doesn't apply to other crimes is still
there," she says.
The name-calling hasn't hurt, she says, but it has frustrated her with its
unfairness.
She says she thinks she probably got a reputation for being a bit of a
harridan because she's pushy, upfront and very confident. It comes of having
a supportive husband and grown-up son and daughter, training as a pharmacist,
attending university as an adult and being an early Germaine Greer-convert to
femininism.
MS ROBERTS is of a later era, and has always thought of herself as a feminist.
No conversion needed.
She says she thinks she'll bring a young perspective to the organisation; the
average age of those who seek help is 30 and the group at highest risk of
"date rape" is between 15 and 24.
She has a degree in theatre and film and says she took the job because she
wanted to do something for humanity and about making women less afraid.
Ms Allwood says that despite on-going awareness-raising to debunk myths it
has been difficult to make much headway.
"The notions that women ask to be raped by being provocative in their
dress or going out alone at night, that women have to curb their activities,
are actually not true, but it is disturbing to see how many of the general
public believe these things and modify their behaviour around them.
"Yet most women are likely to run into trouble with their ex-partner or
the neighbour or their boss."
The two women have a measured response when general discussion turns to a
commonly raised scenario. What about a woman who goes to a man's room at
night and then, when he puts demands on her, suddenly changes her mind and
cries rape? Is she raped? Hasn't she invited this? Shouldn't she bear half
the blame? Shouldn't she have known that a bad outcome was a possibility?
Ms Allwood replies: "What about the woman who goes to a man's room with
stars in her eyes and women's magazines' true-romance stories in her head?
Love at first sight, eyes across a crowded room, believing she has found the
one true love only to find . . ? Does she deserve to be raped?"
Ms Roberts adds: "What about a man's responsibility to ensure a woman
wants his advances?"
The women reject suggestions that focusing on rape day after day can skew
their perceptions, leave them open to charges of fanaticism.
Ms Roberts says they are dealing with an emotive subject. People's attitudes
toward rape will colour how they feel about her and the organisation.
"If they are going to think I am a fanatic it is in some way not my
problem, it is theirs."
Ms Allwood says that at least she is handing over to Ms Roberts in a better
climate, one in which rape and sexual violence can be discussed.
"We have a lot of requests about rape and sexual abuse from primary
schools to post-graduate level, requests about date rape, about various forms
of sexual abuse and what research and what stats we have."
Ms Robert's first big project begins today with the start of Rape Awareness
Week.
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CAPTION: Photo DAVE HANSFORD
Toni Allwood, right, and Ceridwyn Roberts . . . taking knocks from the public
and the media is part of the job, they say
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