The Girlfriends: Spotlight, E21: Morrell Breaks the Ban

About this episode

Morrell Andrews discusses her fight against publication bans in Canada following her sexual assault.

When Morrell Andrews’s attacker was convicted of her sexual assault, she thought her fight was over. But it was just beginning. Because in Canada, where Morrell lives, ‘Publication Bans’ were enshrined in law. These bans meant that no one, including the survivor themselves, is allowed to publicly name the victim of a sexual offense. Effectively, if Morrell talked about her story in the press, or on her own social media - or even if she texted her friends or emailed her therapist about it - she could face a criminal conviction and a fine. Morrell wasn’t going to stand for that. With the support of a group of other survivors, she began an extraordinary legal and media battle to change the Canadian criminal code forever…

People in this episode

Guest: Morrell Andrews

Topics covered

• sexual assault
• legal battle
• publication bans
• survivor advocacy
• Canadian law

Keywords

• Morrell Andrews
• publication bans
• sexual assault
• Canada
• legal battle
• survivor

Mentioned in this episode

Places: Canada

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