Rachel Killean – författare

Sexual Violence on Trial provides a contemporary critical examination of the investigation, prosecution and cultural contexts of sexual violence. It draws on Northern Ireland as a case study, while also drawing on experiences from other jurisdictions across the United Kingdom and island of Ireland. Public and academic debates concerning the high-profile ‘Belfast/Rugby Rape Trial’ and the subsequent Gillen review of the arrangements to deliver justice in serious sexual offence cases have been mirrored at a global level with movements such as #MeToo and #TimesUp. This book brings together the perspectives of practitioners and academics to discuss contemporary challenges surrounding the societal and legal framing of sexual violence. It examines key aspects of the criminal justice process including the challenges of supporting victims; of responding to a range of forms of sexual violence such as rape, peer abuse, intimate partner violence and forced-to-penetrate cases; as well as alternative perspectives and future reforms. It also considers broader debates including balancing the interests of victims and defendants; the impact of cultural myths and stereotypes; the challenges of the digital age; models of consent; legal representation for victims and anonymity and publicity surrounding trials.Written by leading authorities in the field, Sexual Violence on Trial will be of great interest to students and scholars of Criminology, Law and Sociology.

Sexual Violence on Trial provides a contemporary critical examination of the investigation, prosecution and cultural contexts of sexual violence. It draws on Northern Ireland as a case study, while also drawing on experiences from other jurisdictions across the United Kingdom and island of Ireland. Public and academic debates concerning the high-profile ‘Belfast/Rugby Rape Trial’ and the subsequent Gillen review of the arrangements to deliver justice in serious sexual offence cases have been mirrored at a global level with movements such as #MeToo and #TimesUp. This book brings together the perspectives of practitioners and academics to discuss contemporary challenges surrounding the societal and legal framing of sexual violence. It examines key aspects of the criminal justice process including the challenges of supporting victims; of responding to a range of forms of sexual violence such as rape, peer abuse, intimate partner violence and forced-to-penetrate cases; as well as alternative perspectives and future reforms. It also considers broader debates including balancing the interests of victims and defendants; the impact of cultural myths and stereotypes; the challenges of the digital age; models of consent; legal representation for victims and anonymity and publicity surrounding trials.Written by leading authorities in the field, Sexual Violence on Trial will be of great interest to students and scholars of Criminology, Law and Sociology.

This book rethinks the boundaries of transitional justice, urging scholars and practitioners to confront the often-overlooked nexus between mass violence and ecological harm.

Through an in-depth analysis of the field’s limitations – such as its anthropocentric legalism, neocolonial practices, and alignment with neoliberalism – the book critiques the historical marginalisation of Nature in transitional justice discourse and practice. It argues that ignoring environmental harm not only undermines the possibility of holistic justice but also perpetuates structural violence and inequality. In response, the book sketches a ‘greener’ transitional justice, integrating principles from environmental justice, Indigenous knowledge systems, and ecocentric perspectives. It explores the possibilities of recognising Nature as a victim of mass violence, adapting existing mechanisms to incorporate environmental harm, and fostering transformative approaches premised on the interdependence of human and ecological well-being.

This book is written for students, researchers, and practitioners of transitional justice and fields related to conflict transformation, peacebuilding, environmental protection, and development.

This book rethinks the boundaries of transitional justice, urging scholars and practitioners to confront the often-overlooked nexus between mass violence and ecological harm.

Through an in-depth analysis of the field’s limitations – such as its anthropocentric legalism, neocolonial practices, and alignment with neoliberalism – the book critiques the historical marginalisation of Nature in transitional justice discourse and practice. It argues that ignoring environmental harm not only undermines the possibility of holistic justice but also perpetuates structural violence and inequality. In response, the book sketches a ‘greener’ transitional justice, integrating principles from environmental justice, Indigenous knowledge systems, and ecocentric perspectives. It explores the possibilities of recognising Nature as a victim of mass violence, adapting existing mechanisms to incorporate environmental harm, and fostering transformative approaches premised on the interdependence of human and ecological well-being.

This book is written for students, researchers, and practitioners of transitional justice and fields related to conflict transformation, peacebuilding, environmental protection, and development.

While international criminal courts have often been declared as bringing ‘justice’ to victims, their procedures and outcomes historically showed little reflection of the needs and interests of victims themselves. This situation has changed significantly over the last sixty years; victims are increasingly acknowledged as having various ‘rights’, while their need for justice has been deployed as a means of justifying the establishment of international criminal courts. However, it is arguable that the goals of political and legal elites continue to be given precedence, and the ability of courts to deliver ‘justice to victims’ remains contested. This book contributes to this important debate through an examination of the role of victims as civil parties within the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia. Drawing on a series of interviews with civil parties, court practitioners and civil society actors, the book explores the way in which both the ECCC and the role of victims within it are shaped by specific political, economic and legal contexts; examining the ‘gap’ between the legitimising value of the ‘imagined victim’, and the extent to which victims are able to further their interests within the courtroom.

While international criminal courts have often been declared as bringing ‘justice’ to victims, their procedures and outcomes historically showed little reflection of the needs and interests of victims themselves. This situation has changed significantly over the last sixty years; victims are increasingly acknowledged as having various ‘rights’, while their need for justice has been deployed as a means of justifying the establishment of international criminal courts. However, it is arguable that the goals of political and legal elites continue to be given precedence, and the ability of courts to deliver ‘justice to victims’ remains contested. This book contributes to this important debate through an examination of the role of victims as civil parties within the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia. Drawing on a series of interviews with civil parties, court practitioners and civil society actors, the book explores the way in which both the ECCC and the role of victims within it are shaped by specific political, economic and legal contexts; examining the ‘gap’ between the legitimising value of the ‘imagined victim’, and the extent to which victims are able to further their interests within the courtroom.