Those who watch Emmerdale will know that Rhona's recent story involves domestic violence leading up to rape by her husband Pierce on their wedding night. Overall I would say that Emmerdale are doing a fabulous job and have clearly done very thorough research. Both Zoe Henry who plays Rhona and Jonathon Wrather who plays Pierce have done a phenomenal job at portraying their respective characters. Every time Pierce is on screen it makes my skin crawl and I want to reach into the TV to pull Rhona to safety.
Emmerdale are trying to strike the important balance between the story being realistic, as only 2% of rapists are convicted and so much victim blaming occurs in courts, and encouraging women to come forward about their experiences.
As soon as Rhona confided in her friends Vanessa, Paddy and Marlon about her rape they instantly believed her. They also didn't shy away from hugging her and Vanessa fiercely protected Rhona from Pierce when she found him in her house. I think this is such an important message to send.
However, the episode on Friday showed a massive flaw in. When questioned by police, Pierce lied and said that Rhona had been "off her face" on alcohol and painkillers so would be unable to remember what had happened. He continued to paint her as unstable throughout the interview, talking extensively about her painkiller addiction which had actually only reemerged after the rape.
She was intoxicated.
She could not consent.
That is rape.
He was let go without charge, after confessing to rape, because the sex he described wasn't consensual.
However, the blame lies with the UK court system and not Emmerdale, as unfortunately a disgusting amount of gas lighting a victim blaming occurs when a rape is reported.
As Rhona says "We're married, and I know that shouldn't matter...but it does.", it's a sad fact that so many people looking from the outside will say, 'he didn't rape you, he's your husband.' So I invite those thick, ignorant specimens to watch the episodes of Emmerdale leading up to the rape and see if you would be happy for yourself, your family or your friends to be treated that way.
I massively applaud everyone involved in this frighteningly real story line and all the actors involved, thank you for shedding light on such an important and taboo issue.
Have a beautiful day x
If you have been affected by the scenes in Emmerdale, support can be found through Rape Crisis’ website or via their confidential helpline on 0808 802 9999.
References:
http://metro.co.uk/2017/06/16/emmerdale-spoilers-pierce-harris-to-get-away-with-rape-leaving-rhona-devastated-6714086/
http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2017-06-16/emmerdale-pierce-walks-free---what-next-for-rhona
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