Policing consent: seduction, lies, and the limits of rape law | Zoe Brereton | TEDxUQ

Content warning: contains sexual themes and descriptions of sexual violence. Interested in how culture shapes concepts such as consent and autonomy, Zoe Brereton spent 12 months in India conducting socio-legal research into police investigations of crimes against women, and particularly the tendency for women who report rape to be viewed as false complainants. Examining the development of the Indian doctrine of ‘rape by fraud’ as a case study, Zoe’s talk brings forward the discussion of how we value consent looking through a cultural lens. Zoe is a final year Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Laws (Honours) student at The University of Queensland. Since January 2015, Zoe has worked as a legal research assistant for Professor Simon Bronitt with a particular focus on rape law reform. In early 2015, Zoe became the inaugural New Colombo Plan fellow for India, where she spent 12 months conducting socio-legal research into police investigations of crimes against women and later interned for Justice Gita Mittal on the Delhi High Court. Zoe was awarded the Australian Academy of Law Prize for her presentation of this work at the 2017 National Law Honours Student Conference. Drawing upon early drafts of the Indian Penal Code, the experiences of women who report sexual violence, and her conversations with police officers, Zoe’s talk will look to the development of the Indian doctrine of ‘rape by fraud’ as a case study to explore how culture shapes concepts such as consent and autonomy. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx