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Parastow Miri
‘Dead Men Don’t Rape’

“We live in a rape culture where male sexual aggression is encouraged and violence against women is supported. Dead Men Don’t Rape is a testament to the women who are driven to kill abusive men. Women who are unfairly penalised by a patriarchal justice system that consistently fails to protect and support them in abusive situations. Women who are portrayed as ‘monsters’ and deemed ‘dangerous’ by a world that celebrates male serial killers. Women who are punished for embodying values others than those which have been assigned to them, such as mother/sister/daughter/wife. These cases represent more than just an act of violence, they are indicative of the systems of oppression that govern us.
 
DMDR seeks to bring to light the institutional racism and sexism of the justice system and police force, and the double standards involved in domestic abuse cases. The average sentence for men who kill is 2 to 6 years, while for women it is 15 years, despite the fact that women mostly kill in self defence and are eight times more likely to be killed by their partner than men. The title ‘Dead Men Don’t Rape’ is partially tongue in cheek, but also serves as a serious reminder. DMDR features 6 vigilante women who, in the end, served justice better than the law itself: Phoolan Devi, Sampat Pal Devi, Joan Little, Omaima Nelson, Aileen Wuornos and Ruth Ellis.”