We are delighted to speak with a remarkable force of nature called Julie Macfarlane. A fierce advocate for survivors of sexual violence as well as survivors of institutional abuse, Dr Julie Macfarlane has spent her adult life teaching in law schools in four continents, researching and working on progressive causes that she feels passionately about. She is the author of Going Public: A Survivor’s Journey from Grief to Action which merges the worlds of personal and professional, activism and scholarship. Drawing upon decades of legal training, Macfarlane decodes the well-worn methods used by church, school, and state to silence survivors, from first reporting to cross-examination to non-disclosure agreements. At the same time, she lays bare the isolation and exhaustion of going public in her own life, as she takes her abuser to court, challenges her colleagues, and weathers a defamation lawsuit.
In this episode, Raquel Rosario Sanchez learns about the work of such a force of nature and Julie’s inspirational journey from survivor to activist game changer. (Transcript available on filia.org.uk)
