A woman reports a rape, and as a result she is threatened with prosecution. Saudi Arabia? Indonesia? No - this happened in the NZ army:
Military police told a rape complainant she faced a charge of wrongly being in a male barracks room after she told police she was taken there while too drunk to resist and then sexually assaulted.
The threat came after the woman made a complaint to NZ Police, saying she had been raped by an instructor who offered to help her back to her room but instead took her to his quarters.
Police were told by the woman that she did not want to be there, did not want to have sex and was unable to consent.
The incident happened two years ago but the alleged attacker was only stood down from his position this week.
This is simply appalling, and it shows the lie behind NZDF's "operation respect". When push comes to shove, they protect abusers while threatening victims. The incentive that sets is terrible, and it raises questions about how many crimes weren't reported as a result.
The good news is that the people who set that toxic culture and allowed it to fester have been suspended, as part of the army's probe into sexual misconduct at The Army Depot. Hopefully they'll all be out on their arses. Because this just isn't acceptable.
