Some friends on Facebook have asked where are the men discussing Eurydice Dixon
I don’t think I’m alone in struggling to articulate the injustice.
It occurs to me one reason I’m struggling to articulate a response is that Eurydice can’t explain the circumstances that led to her death.
If she had lived, she would’ve had to make the decision to report her assault.
It is widely recognised that few victims of sexual assault report the crime.
About a decade ago I got an insight into why so few undertake that process.
While living in a regional city I learned victims might have to drive two hours to a larger hospital to find a doctor willing to collect forensic evidence.
Does this suggest it’s easier to believe Eurydice’s corpse than it is to find a doctor in the country?
Maybe.
Reporting crime is one step in making sense of violence but it’s not an easy step.
My female Facebook friends have responded to Eurydice’s death by sharing experiences of male violence.
As a male I know male violence too and I think that’s why I feel powerless to discuss Eurydice.
Maybe if I was a corpse it’d be easier to believe I fear violence.
When I was assaulted I asked police to make a report and they said why bother.
I called a friend who worked a newspaper and asked him to write a story.
The journalist said it happens all the time, that’s not newsworthy.
I understand my story seems insignificant.
it’s commonplace but I still struggle to understand it.
Violence is senseless but as a society not much effort seems to be put into understanding it.
This is what I say for Eurydice Dixon: We need to change a culture that belittles violence.
I wonder if once we acknowledge our shared experiences of violence, we can look at how our culture normalises it.
Are we so blasé about violence that a corpse is required for it to be recognised?
