Does Eastenders really Write the Wrongs?

All too often we hear the phrase “lessons must be learnt” - and often as the result of even the most tragic of cases. Sometimes the worst: child sex-trafficking, abuse, neglect and even murder. We’ve mentioned this in our previous blog about Hillsborough and our opinions remain the same.

But how are lessons supposed to be learnt when the “teachers” delivering those lessons are the very heart of the problem? Let’s take the fictional case of Jay from Eastenders as an example. Dragged through the legal system and spat out onto the floor - quite literally when he was beaten half to death - in what appears to be a weakly researched storyline (so far) even when you do allow for a bit of dramatic licence.

Jay is a victim. Yes: a VICTIM. A 21 year old male CAN be the victim of a 14 year old girl... who lied about her age, falsified her name, allowed him to be arrested, go to court and plead guilty. Wrongly branded a “paedophile”, he was made to sign the sex offenders register. The knock on effect is that social services have restricted his access to children he is close to, and his freedoms are therefore severely restricted.

The vast majority of employers won’t even interview him, let alone employ him.. He will have to declare every change of address he makes to the Police whilst on the register. Depending on the conditions of his signing, he might well not even be allowed to go anywhere where children frequent. For example, that means more swimming in public pools; no more holidays with his friends at well known family resorts; no more babysitting for friends or family; or helping out by picking the kids up from school; volunteering to help with the local kids’ football team; and so on…

His criminal record will haunt and control his entire life.

If you really want to know just how much Jay’s life will be affected you can find out from any number of organisations supporting those who are falsely accused or wrongly convicted. (Links: FACT, FASO, PAFAA).

You might want to argue that no matter what the girl did, he had the responsibility to ascertain her age. But you would be wrong. Sexual offences under the 2003 Act clearly state that where the child is under 16 but could reasonably be believed to be over 16 create an area of law that tests the “public interest” of prosecution. All the information about those laws is in the public domain and can be found online as easily as tabloid newspapers. You just have to want to know the facts more than be entertained by the hyperbole and rhetoric.

Consider this. Surely if in our legal system, where you are able to tell right from wrong from the age of 10, to knowingly allow someone to enter into criminal behaviour when they don’t even know that they are is...well...wrong. In a society that counts you as legally accountable for walking away from a blocked fire exit without rectifying or alerting to the hazard (Health and Safety Act), why can we not accept the manipulative, deceitful behaviour of the girl Jay had the misfortune to trust as being her own responsibility? He genuinely believed she was over 16. His friends did. As soon as he found out her real age HE broke off the relationship immediately. Jay was naive and showed poor judgement for not double-checking her age. But that is a far cry from being a criminal paedophile with a gratuitous proclivity for getting sexual gratification from children.

Women cannot campaign and complain for equality of RIGHTS if they are not going to accept equality of RESPONSIBILITY. They cannot have it both ways...and then bemoan the woes of injustice when their own sons fall foul of that prejudice when they grow up.

Normally I would be all for praising Eastenders writers for taking on a serious issue. They have tackled child abuse, LGBT issues, rape, drugs, domestic violence, mental health...and so many other issues. Even though I do not in any way enjoy the programme, or think it is very well written, per se, credit where it’s due, they are prepared to stick their heads around the darker corners. Have you noticed how in all those stories you get an announcement at the end of the programme that “if you have been affected by the issues, call the helpline…”? And rightly so.

So, BBC: where is that offer now? What about all those young people - usually boys or young men - who find themselves a victim of an imbalanced legal system, or a false allegation? Where is the offer of support and advice to them? Or do you really just think Jay, and all those other boys, deserve what they get?

In society we complain about miscarriages of justice all the time. But they are never going to go away until we are prepared to recognise the imbalances in the legal system and challenge ignorant prejudice.

We need to start crying louder for “justice” BEFORE we cry out “guilty.”

#Eastenders #Justice #Law #Innocent #Advice