TW: sexual violence, abuse, human trafficking
If watching the news as a law student is bad, watching it as a woman is usually worse. Recent coverage of Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan leaving Romania has reignited conversation around their offences and failures of the criminal justice system to support victims. Stepping back from their case highlights a broader cultural neglect of sexual violence, including in the context of campaigns here in Oxford.
Andrew and Tristan Tate are British-American influencers known for their online content centred on masculinity and misogyny, with Andrew expressing that he is “absolutely a misogynist”. After first being arrested in 2022, the Tate brothers left Romania despite being charged with rape, human trafficking, and organised crime. Why prosecutors approved their request to travel is unclear, though the country’s anti-organised crime unit has committed that the two remain “under judicial supervision”. Politicians calling for criminal investigation in America or extradition to the UK complicate the situation further along jurisdictional and ideological divides.
The complexities of their legal status aside, it is the reaction to their at least temporary ‘escape’ that reveals deep concerns. Most articles on their departure end with victim statements, putting victim-survivor concerns secondary to the geopolitics and litigation questions at hand. The British women alleging they were abused by Andrew Tate said they felt “retraumatised” by him leaving Romania. But where are their views in the legal plans and political debate?
Survivor and campaigner Ellie Wilson recently called attention to the powerful’s neglect of victims. She posted on X that the absurdity of Donald Trump – who has been found liable for sexual assault – becoming president was somehow overshadowed by him “facilitating the escape of a man awaiting trial for rape and human trafficking.” It was confirmed that Trump’s special envoy spoke to the Romanian foreign minister about the Tate brothers, reinforcing Wilson’s idea that abusers “have each other’s backs”.
Concerns about a culture of impunity are echoed here in Oxford. Speaking to Union Treasurer-Elect Rosalie Chapman, she highlighted the concern that the Tate brothers’ departure sends “a bleak message to survivors of sexual violence” and reinforces victims’ fear that “power and money can shield abusers from real consequences”. Inaccessibility of justice for victims predates the Tates, but this “adds to the sense that justice is something reserved for those with privilege”.
Chapman recently brought private business to the Union to create the position of an Anti-Sexual Violence Officer on committee. Prior to the cancel culture debate this term, her speech called the rule changes “both necessary and overdue”. She asserted that the training and support to fight sexual violence was needed given it is a “pervasive issue amongst the university and student spaces”.
The SU Welfare Survey in 2024 found that one in five women who responded had experienced unwanted sexual behaviour, analogous to national statistics about gender-based discrimination and violence. The reports on Student Welfare and Support Services also raise concerns about the institutional capacity to provide support. In the 2022-2023 report, wait times for the Sexual Harassment and Violence Support Service increased, potentially discouraging victims from accessing help.
Reported cases, however, are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to tackling sexual violence. Offenders escaping justice might leave survivors thinking that reporting is futile, encouraging a culture of staying quiet. Campaigners also emphasise their fear that a lack of accountability potentially vindicates figures like Tate. Chapman argued that Tate’s supporters can use this as “proof of his innocence”, building on his existing “influence over young men”. Police in the UK have expressed concern that influencers like Andrew Tate are contributing to the misogynistic radicalisation of boys, alongside British schools sharing that pupils are increasingly expressing that they admire Tate.
Narratives glorifying abusers while ignoring or even villainising victims is the problem here, and it is not isolated to the Tates. Recently concerns about the invitation of Dizzee Rascal to the Union were raised by Oxford Feminist Society given he was convicted of abusing his partner in 2022. Their post criticised “platforming and welcoming this violent offender” and speaking to Cherwell, FemSoc raised that the Union showed an “apparent lack of internal ability” to cancel the invitation or recognise the controversy publicly.
Misogyny needs public visibility, but action seems to face institutional resistance no matter the scale. Chapman shared her hope that the new Union position would be “a small but necessary step” to not just address the rhetoric but bring real change. She called for a culture “where survivors aren’t just believed but actively supported”, which is not the case currently in a “world that keeps giving men like Tate a microphone”.
