Open Access„Hún reyndi ekki að kalla á hjálp...“
Author(s) -
Þórhildur Sæmundsdóttir,
Þorgerður Einarsdóttir
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
ritið
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2298-8513
pISSN - 1670-0139
DOI - 10.33112/ritid.18.3.4
Subject(s) - harm , supreme court , mythology , focus (optics) , emphasis (telecommunications) , psychology , code (set theory) , criminology , social psychology , law , political science , philosophy , set (abstract data type) , computer science , theology , physics , optics , telecommunications , programming language
The paper analyzes the rulings of the Supreme Court of iceland in rape cases after changes in the penal code in 1992 and 2007. The study employs discourse analysis in which legitimizing principles are identified. The aim of the paper is to explore whether victim blaming, misogyny or other such attitudes are reflected in the rulings. The paper concludes that the rulings’ focus is mainly on physical abuse and violence although less emphasis is put on that after the changes in the penal code. Mental harm caused by rape is often given little attention or even completely ignored. One main conclusion is that rape myths are reflected in the rulings and victim blaming is common although it is decreasing. it is also apparent that the emphasis on victim blaming diminishes if the perpetrator is of foreign origin.