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believe women

Why it's enraging that people only believe Amber Heard's domestic violence allegations now that a man has backed her up

Johnny Depp’s former manager has now supported Heard’s allegations. But shouldn’t we have just believed her in the first place?

LAST YEAR, AMBER Heard filed for divorce from actor Johnny Depp and subsequently filed a domestic violence restraining order against him.

Depp denied the allegations of domestic violence at the time despite photos, videos and texts between Heard and Depp’s assistant that suggested otherwise. Through his lawyers, he accused Heard of trying to “extend her fifteen minutes of fame”.

Now Depp’s former business managers are alleging that the actor did indeed get violent with Heard. Legal documents obtained by People Magazine show that Depp’s former managers at TMG were aware of the actor having “gotten physical” with Amber Heard.

[Joel Mandel, one of the managers,] was informed well after the fact through communications with various house staff and security that Depp had been extremely volatile and had sometimes ‘gotten physical’ with Heard.
Mandel was also later informed that Depp had violently kicked Heard during an incident that took place in or around 2014.

The revelation has led to headlines like this.

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As many have pointed out, however, none of this should come as news to anyone seeing as Amber Heard said Johnny Depp abused Amber Heard last year.

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All too often, allegations of domestic violence and sexual assault are met with scepticism and suspicion. Women are labelled as money grabbers or dismissed as attention-seekers. They’re accused of deliberately trying to destroy a man’s life with false accusations.

All the while the abuser is often given the benefit of the doubt. Because the idea that women are conniving schemers is more readily believed than the idea that powerful, famous men are capable of abusing their spouses.

Amber Heard was able to provide texts, video and photographs to substantiate her claims. and she was still treated as a liar. Media organisations even resorted to digging up photos of her smiling in an attempt to prove that she couldn’t possible have been abused.

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It’s only now that her story has been corroborated by a man that her allegations are once again being taken seriously.

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As a society, it’s important that we believe women. We shouldn’t expect them to behave like “perfect victims” nor should we demonise them for staying in a relationship or not fighting back. And we sure as hell shouldn’t have to wait for a man to back them up before we listen to them.

Tweet by @Rossalyn Warren Rossalyn Warren / Twitter Rossalyn Warren / Twitter / Twitter

Tweet by @Alicia Lutes Alicia Lutes / Twitter Alicia Lutes / Twitter / Twitter

Listen to women, believe women and stop letting powerful men away with this behaviour.

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