Rape Myths, Victim Blaming & Under-Reporting.
By Tara Scully,
London Metropolitan University.
Male rape is a taboo topic that is only recently gaining more popularity as a research subject. In the UK it took a heinous crime like the one of Sinaga to prompt wider critical thinking about current misconceptions of what is meant by male rape. The purpose of this study was to examine and conduct a library-based research project highlighting some of the academic studies about male rape. This was achieved by using a variety of mixed media, such as journals, articles, interviews, and websites. The project examined the under reporting of male rape by using statistics from the Crime Survey of England and Wales. This project also explored how blaming the victim is ingrained in rape culture. This research also highlights the issues that male rape myths create for victims and examines some elements of trauma that male rape victims face. The findings of this essay revealed that there is a large gap between the number of sexual assaults in the Crime Survey for England and Wales and the number of reports to the police. This project also brings to light that there are still male rape myths that plague society to this day. Rape myths, trauma and victim blaming highly correlate with male victims feeling like they cannot report the crime. This research has shown that further research into the subject of male rape would be beneficial.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10042137
By Bianka Sarkozi,
London Metropolitan University.
This research has aimed to understand the influence of films and series on the perception of young people (aged 18-25) regarding the negative effects of cannabis. To achieve this objective, this study employed a quantitative approach, specifically using an online survey with 63 participants. Respondents were asked about their views on how the media portrays cannabis use, whether it influences their generation, and if individuals are aware of the harmful effects of cannabis, among other questions. A key finding of this dissertation is that depictions of cannabis in the media (series and movies) is on the rise. Moreover, series and movies seem to significantly influence young people, making them more likely to experiment with substances such as cannabis. Finally, this dissertation argues that the media presents an inaccurate representation of the harms associated with cannabis use.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8353255
By Eleanor Lawrence,
London Metropolitan University.
Trust in the Metropolitan Police Service (the Met) has significantly declined in recent years. The Met has lost the public's trust because of a number of high-profile incidents, see the murder of Sarah Everard, accusations of racial profiling as well as highly publicised homophobic, racist, and misogynistic messages between police officers on WhatsApp (Akram, 2022). The murder of Sarah Everard and other high-profile media reports on the Met Police have had a unique impact on women (Simon et al, 2021). As supported by the quantitative work of Simon et al (2021), women are indeed significantly impacted by the Met's failings. Other literature sources have collected data on both genders but haven't emphasised the greater failure in women's trust. This dissertation has identified the absence of qualitative data as a reason for the lack of in-depth understanding of women's trust towards the Met Police. Therefore, this research project fills this gap by using qualitative interviews with female students in London to gather answers to research questions based on women, ethnicity, and trustworthiness. The software NVivo helped in analysing the data gathered in this research project, which produced two themes: 'Ramifications of Police Failings', and 'Feelings of Influence'. Further research is needed to to investigate the female perspective specifically regarding how the Met can change as to better promote public confidence. This study recommends that the Met can regain trust and legitimacy by understanding women's experiences and thoughts on the organisation.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8353257