Outrage after Lilian Muli asks rape victim if she ‘provoked’ attack
Citizen TV news anchor Lillian Muli is under fire from Kenyans on Twitter after asking a rape survivor whether she may have invited the ordeal on herself.
The news anchor was interviewing rape survivor Irene Karimi on her ordeal in February 2015 when a gang of thieves robbed and raped her in Kibera.
Muli shocked her viewers by asking ” “Could you have said something, could you have done something? Were you dressed in a certain way?”
TOE CURLING
The question came just after Ms Karimi had revealed toe-curling details of how the gang of 10 thieves broke into her house at night, stole from her before three of them proceeded to rape her.
Responding to the question, Ms Karimi schooled Muli that when a woman is raped it is not because she provoked her attacker.
She went ahead to describe her dressing style during the incident as decent.
“Certainly I’m a church girl, I’m a minister in my local church and I don’t dress indecently and didn’t offend anyone in my community. They came and started asking why I was beautiful na sina mshikaji, they started asking if I was HIV + they started physically abusing me,” said Karimi.
Muli’s interview has been widely criticised online, with users pointing out that it was an irresponsible line of questioning.
Irene: 10 thieves broke into my house at night beat, robbed & RAPED me
Lilian Muli: could you've said/done something? Were you dressed a certain way?…initially their intention was to steal, do you recall exactly how this happened & who started it?
So unfortunate & disgusting! https://t.co/g8s1StiYXp
— Wambui (@Waambui) April 8, 2018
Lillian Muli actually asked a survivor of a violent rape by home invaders if she offended them, or was dressed in such a manner as to provoke them into assaulting her. She ACTUALLY did that. LILLIAN MULI DID THIS ON PRIME TIME NEWS. https://t.co/p9BodE6Z77
— Dr. Njoki Ngumi ?? (@njokingumi) April 8, 2018
I just watched Lillian Muli interviewing a rape victim and she had the audacity to ask her whether she was dressed inappropriately when the incident occurred and if the perpetrators were wearing protection.
Kenyan journalism is dead.
— M. (@TeddyMunene) April 8, 2018
That was Lillian Muli, a career journalist with the resources & ability to research & prepare, conducting her interview in a relaxed studio. How worse then do you imagine the experience is for sexual assault victims at the hands of cops?
"Why didn't she report?"— Negritude ✊? (@tjjullu) April 8, 2018
https://twitter.com/barely_tasty/status/982940591104372736
In interviews like the one Lillian Muli did on rape, the skill of the journalist is to prevent the testimony from turning melodramatic, so that all the audience is left with is either pity for the rape victim or anger with the interviewer. That's why Muli's interview was a flop
— #LandFirst Mwalimu Wandia (@wmnjoya) April 9, 2018
https://twitter.com/MarianaNdawa/status/982906976769396736