Conor McGregor's fiancée has sent the wrong message to her sons

yesterday

"I will make sure my sons understand that there are women like you out there in the world."

I felt a shiver run down my spine when I came across this statement.

This information came from Dee Devlin, the long-time partner of UFC fighter Conor McGregor. Last week, McGregor was instructed by the High Court jury to pay €248,000 (£206,000) in damages to Nikita Hand after he was convicted of raping her in a hotel in Dublin back in December 2018.

In a set of Instagram posts directed at Hand, Devlin poses the question, "What kind of woman are you?" and asserts that she has evidence suggesting Hand was the one who acted aggressively. In her posts, she mentions having seen "video footage" that backs up McGregor's claims.

Dee Devlin has faith in her partner's innocence. However, her threatening statement about warning her sons to stay away from "women like you" isn't helping her position.

Instead, she is spreading the harmful and false belief that men are easily manipulated by deceitful women, who are supposedly hiding everywhere.

Understanding Rape In The UK: Key Insights

While current statistics are limited, the Crown Prosecution Service categorizes false rape accusations as "serious but uncommon." Research conducted by the Ministry of Justice and the Home Office indicates that around 3% of rape claims made in 2008-2009 may have been false.

A study conducted by the CPS in 2013 over a period of 17 months revealed that there were 5,651 prosecutions for rape, while only 35 cases involved false accusations.

Additionally, the phrase "false allegations" can be confusing because the meaning of "false" differs between law enforcement and prosecutors.

Although only a small number of individuals file complaints with bad intentions, a 2012 report from the Ministry of Justice highlighted that a claim was deemed 'false' in cases where the victim was under the influence of alcohol, witnesses retracted their statements, or the person making the report showed no clear signs of injury.

In any measure, the harsh truth is that false accusations of rape and sexual assault are extremely uncommon when compared to real reports. These false claims can have serious consequences for survivors who bravely choose to seek justice through legal action.

Based on information from the Office for National Statistics, only 2% of rape cases in England and Wales lead to a successful criminal prosecution. It becomes even more challenging to prosecute cases that rely solely on conflicting testimonies from the individuals involved.

It's alarming to note that, on average, it takes about 817 days for a rape case to reach the courtroom. This statistic is all the more shocking when considered alongside other related figures.

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Rape Crisis is a feminist organization dedicated to putting an end to rape, sexual assault, sexual harassment, child sexual abuse, and all other types of sexual violence.

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What motivation do women have to speak up, particularly when it involves a wealthy and influential man? Especially when public figures like Devlin, who has 1.8 million followers on Instagram, use their platforms to imply that men should be cautious of certain women.

After revealing the existence of this supposedly exonerating video, Devlin does not claim that McGregor, whom she portrays as a joyful family man and great father, is innocent of injuring Hand.

A paramedic present in court mentioned that it had been a long time since they encountered anyone with such severe bruising.

It's troubling to note that Devlin criticizes Hand for spending three days partying and sending excuses to her child who was at home. She likely refers to what Hand's legal team told the court, indicating that she was out enjoying herself.

The inconsistency in this situation is quite concerning. There’s no discussion of the fact that McGregor, who also has kids at home, was drinking and using drugs. This further supports the false belief that women who are under the influence are somehow responsible for the violence or sexual assault they experience.

No woman should ever experience rape; they should never have to face sexual or physical violence. No one deserves that kind of treatment.

Women, including mothers, have the right to leave their children in someone else's care at home while they go out and enjoy some drinks.

Absolutely! Some women do use recreational drugs. There isn’t a specific ‘type’ of woman who engages in this behavior, though.

The notion that a woman and mother with an active social life can be labeled as reckless, irresponsible, and deceitful is almost outdated, reminiscent of Victorian values.

The notion that women willingly endure the pain and clear mistreatment associated with publicly accusing a well-known man of a sexual offense is not only doubtful but also somewhat ridiculous.

As a mom and stepmom to boys, I won't be cautioning my sons about “women like” Hand. It's just not something I would even think of doing.

Instead, I teach my sons about how to seek and give consent, and what it looks like in different situations. I emphasize the importance of respecting women and everyone else. It's important to me that they understand the need to treat all people kindly, and I'm proud that even my three-year-old grasps this idea.

We have open and straightforward discussions with our eight-year-old. With our younger son, I often demonstrate ways to communicate, such as asking him first if it’s alright to touch him, letting him know if he touches me in a way that makes me uncomfortable, and using proper names for body parts.

You might feel that this sounds overly progressive to be real.

I’m just as astonished that we need to educate boys and men about the fact that sexual assault is damaging, disrespectful, and against the law, yet this is where we find ourselves.

If you need to alert the men around you about something important, let it be this: women are becoming less willing to tolerate rape and sexual assault as normal occurrences in their lives.

We won't let anyone shame, mock, attack, or falsely accuse us into staying quiet.