Georgina Diaz reviews Françoise Vergès’ A Feminist Theory of Violence: what happens then when the institutions designed to protect women are the perpetrators of gendered violence?
Nick Beard watches The People v OJ Simpson and finds a nuanced portrayal with an appreciation of the deep societal prejudices informing and impacting on the case
New legislation criminalising coercive control is a positive step forward, writes Megan Stodel, as it strengthens and clarifies the definition of domestic abuse
Dawn Kofie appreciates Laure Berthaud, Spiral's "feminist anti-hero" who isn't afraid to bend the rules, but is disappointed by the predictability of some of the character's personal choices
Hello, F Word readers, and Happy 2015! Welcome to the first weekly round-up and open thread of the year. Below are some recent news stories that caught the attention of The F Word Collective this week (linking does not necessarily imply endorsement or agreement by members of the collective or the author of this post). Please note that these links range from "ooh yay!" to "oy vey" and some articles may be triggering. Want to discuss these topics or add your own? Please share this post, and comment below!
Melanie Newman responds to the view that the media's focus on rape investigation failures and low conviction rates is unhelpful to victims, arguing that with fatalism setting in over rape conviction rates, more media scrutiny is essential to prove that improvements can still be made
Philippa talks about the appalling state of mental health provision for women in crisis, after reading a psychiatrist's recommendation that women of childbearing age go untreated.
Philippa writes about the plea from West Mercia Rape & Sexual Abuse Support Centre for the police to immediately withdraw their victim-blaming and rather confused anti-rape poster campaign.