Chelsea Gibbs and Grace Windsor
Key Points
- June 12th marks the 2 year anniversary of Eurydice Dixon’s rape and murder
- 80 percent of sexual assault victim cases are discounted or adjourned because of insufficient evidence
- Justice system failing affected women, creating a false stigma that women are ‘asking for it’
June 12th marks the two year anniversary of Eurydice Dixon’s death. Eurydice Dixon was raped and murdered by 22 year old man, James Todd, after he stalked her returning home from a local bar through a popular Melbourne park. Todd was recently sentenced to a minimum of 35 years jail before he can apply for parole.
“Totally and categorically evil”
Court Justice Stephen Kaye
Victorian Supreme Court Justice Stephen Kaye commented on the extremity of the case, describing his actions to be “perverted and depraved”, “totally and categorically evil” and “craven and sadistic.” Although it has been seen as a win in the eyes of the court, Miss Dixon is only one of the many Australian women who’s perpetrators have been prosecuted and brought to justice.
25% of women will or have experienced some form of sexual assault in their lifetime. With 1 in 5 women (1.7 million) having experienced sexual assault since the age of 15. Many of these women who experience sexual assault do not report it to authorities for fear of not being believed. In 2017 of ’25,837’ individuals who reported to police their assault, only ‘4797’ had charges put upon their attackers in the duration of a month. The remaining 80 percent have their investigation either discontinued or continue to be ongoing.
This is seen with the case of Evelyn (her identity changed to remain anonymous). In 2016 Evelyn was the victim of sexual assault by a university classmate in Melbourne. The investigation was compounded with evidence from CCTV footage showing Evelyn talking to the perpetrator at a club prior to the incident. The failing of the justice system was highlighted here with the officer speculating on the footage, stating that “right here you sort of touch his arm and that suggests that maybe you were intimate,” the police then told her that her statements conflicted and there wasn’t enough solid evidence to continue the investigation. Her case was then dropped. This reaction and treatment of women reinstates the long held stigma within society that in some instances women are ‘asking’ for it to happen.
Eurydice Dixons tragic death reopens the exhausting conversation about violence against women, and the misogynistic nature behind victim blaming and the negative repercussions it has on society.
Evelyn quotes and statistics sourced from – Sunday Morning Herald
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