Jennifer Robinson and Jess Hill: The Backlash Against Survivors Is The Real Story.

Content warning: This episode contains mature and confronting themes, including domestic and family violence, coercive control, and online abuse. Listener discretion is advised. Support links are listed below.

We’re releasing this episode now because while the holidays are meant to be joyful, they are consistently one of the most dangerous times of year for domestic and family violence. These conversations matter most when they’re hardest to have which is why this isn't another polite panel on "women's issues".

Today's episode is a forensic, unflinching examination of coercive control, the Amber Heard trial, Julian Assange, and the ways legal systems, media, and online culture are increasingly weaponised against women.In this episode of You’re Going to Want to Hear This, journalist Jess Hill and human rights lawyer Jennifer Robinson come together for what can only be described as a dark feminist legal thriller - grounded in evidence, lived experience, and hard truth.Jess and Jennifer dismantle the tired “he said/she lied” narrative, interrogate the misogyny unleashed during the Amber Heard trial, and expose how defamation law, PR machines, bots, and online abuse are used to silence survivors - both globally and here in Australia.The insights are confronting.

“If we literally arrested every man engaging in domestic violence, we wouldn’t have the prison space - a criminal justice response is never going to be enough,” Jess says, as the conversation explores how coercive control laws, consent education, and culture collide.Jennifer explains why representing Julian Assange was less dangerous online than standing beside Amber Heard:
“I didn’t face the same kind of online threats representing Julian as I did representing a woman who spoke out about her abuse.”The episode also goes deep on:

• The Julian Assange press freedom case
• The UK judgment that found Amber Heard a victim of domestic and sexual violence
• How defamation law and domestic violence now intersect in Australia to keep survivors quiet

“Neither Johnny nor Amber will ever see what you wrote on social media,” Jennifer warns.
“But the women in your life who’ve never spoken about their abuse will - and that’s who you’re really talking to.”This episode is for you if you’ve ever searched “what is coercive control?”, looked up violence against women statistics in Australia, or wondered why survivors are tried twice - once in court, and once online.Thank you for listening

Support:
1800RESPECT (24/7)
Lifeline

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See more: Jennifer Robinson, Woman of the Year 2024

Special thanks:
F5 Collective

Credits:
Edited by Lou Hoyle, Pro Podcast
Editorial support by Madi Hodder
Produced by Thomas Crnkovic

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