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TV Smith's Dua Sen. The politically incorrect irregular columnist combines
his idiosyncratic observations and tangential commentary into a blog...
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ANY
OLD WOUNDS IN YOUR VAGINA? by TV Smith 07/05/03
The public wants to
know. Especially, if you're a female victim of sexual assault. Medical reports
of rape victims are often presented as evidence in open court proceedings and
duly documented with great assiduity by the mass media. An unwavering sense of
duty from some of the news organisations that readily apply discretion and self-censorship
on cases involving corrupt officials and VIP criminals. In
the course of the trial, a doctor or medical examiner will inadvertently reveal
- in utmost detail - the intimate features of the victim's private part. Torn
labia, old scars, fresh tears, elastic vagina, un-puckered anus and other genitalia
trivia are presented as forensic proof or disproof. All eagerly jotted down by
the court reporter for tomorrow's national news. I understand these facts may
be necessary to prosecute or defend the alleged perpetrator, but do we need to
know every minutia? Highly personal information that is privy only to a woman's
gyne suddenly becomes public knowledge. Twisted legal system, misplaced journalism
or a public hungry for gynecological news? The
victim's name might be withheld, and certain part of the trial heard 'in camera'.
Still, she is not totally anonymous. She needs to attend court, face lawyers,
prosecutors, judges, interpreters, reporters, spectators in the public gallery
and her sneering assailant. As she re-lives her ordeal a second time, the rape
survivor soon realises she's her own star witness as her own tattered hymen is
put on the witness stand. The issue over her tissue becomes the subject of lunchtime
discussion at the nearby court canteen and helps drive newspaper circulation.
The physical scars and increased reader/viewership deserve more attention than
the emotional scars and ensuing social stigmatisation. Our society is already
quick to blame and disgrace rape victims. What better way to perpetuate this than
to publicly rape her a second time, on prime time. ©
2003 TV SMITH Link to this article: http://www.tvsmith.net.my/duasen/070503_vagina.html
See also: SEX PLEASE, WE'RE MALAYSIANS
| PEEPING TANS | MENAGE
A MOI | THE HYMEN CLOCK
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