Whereas, whatsoever is the behaviour of a woman, it shouldn’t prevent her from saying ‘no.’ ‘No’ coming from a woman under the influence of alcohol doesn’t remove it from its meaning nor makes it inaudible. The stereotype of blaming the victim is even common in rape cases where there exists ludicrous questioning of the credibility of the victim and judgements are drawn based on what ‘type’ of woman she is (how much she strays from the ‘ladette’ attitude). Kennedy, using subtle humour and gripping details, exposes the stereotypes surrounding women in law: high acquittal rates of men in domestic abuse cases are because of the mythological account that the woman was either not as severely beaten as she claims or she has invited the beatings with her behaviour.

The law is undoubtedly an instrument of change, but it can be a blunt instrument when the context in which it operates is not fully understood.Įve was Framed makes an informative read largely because of Kennedy’s wide perspective that explains how women, tried in a system designed with men in mind and run by the Bench consisting mainly of men, are marginalised in courts. She draws on several cases and her own experience as a barrister to show us how dangerously the scales of law can shift away from women when such an understanding is not undertaken and how it affects women in unimaginable ways Kennedy calls for greater understanding of the context of the lives of women by courts and ameliorative or substantive equality, instead of standard ‘equality’ between genders. Eve was Framed is a pleasant, expertly-written exception and elaborates on the particular problems in courts faced by Black women, African, Afro-Caribbean and Asian women, mentally unwell women, trans-women- you heard it right- this book covers intersectional feminism.

In books I have come across, more often than not while writing, White feminists overlook cultural, racial, and ‘other’ groups of women, and instead talk about women as a homogenous group. Image Credit: Eve Was Framed ebook by Helena Kennedy Rakuten KoboĮve Was Framed is an impassioned, thought-provoking book in which QC Helena Kennedy makes misogyny stare right at your face by explaining the difficulties faced by women in courts.

Eve Was Framed by Helena Kennedy