LEETON shire resident Jason Richardson is finding it difficult to articulate his feelings on the recent rape and murder of Eurydice Dixon in Melbourne.
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While Mr Richardson didn’t know Ms Dixon, her death has brought up a range of debates and thoughts for men and women. Ms Dixon was brutally raped and murdered in a Melbourne park last week.
In a letter to the editor, Mr Richardson said several of his female friends have asked where are the men discussing Ms Dixon?
“I don’t think I’m alone in struggling to articulate the injustice,” he said.
“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.”
Mr Richardson said he had witnessed himself why so few people undertake the reporting 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,” he said.
“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.”
According to Mr Richardson, many of his female Facebook friends have responded to Ms Dixon’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,” he wrote.
“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 asked why bother.
“I called a friend who worked for 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.”
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He said it was time violence was understood better by society as a whole.
“This is what I say for Eurydice Dixon – we need to change a culture that belittles violence,” Mr Richardson wrote.
“I wonder if once we acknowledge our shared experiences of violence, we can look at how our culture normalises it.
“Everywhere in our communities are people struggling to make sense of male violence.
“Are we so blasé about violence that a corpse is required for it to be recognised?”
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