Natasha O'Brien's story shows how women are trapped inside a system ‘built on misogyny’

Last week brought me right back to the danger of unchecked male violence. I heard the key in the door again. A lot of us did

Protesters outside the GPO in Dublin on Saturday in solidarity with Natasha O'Brien. Photo: Sasko Lazarov/© RollingNews.ie

Oh God, not again — that was the first thing that came into my head when I saw the headlines about the Crotty case last week. I had just finished work and was at home, absentmindedly scrolling through my phone. 

Suddenly there it was, in black and white, another man spared any punishment for beating a woman unconscious. How many times do women bravely come forward about abuse and either they are not believed, or their abusers go unpunished?