On Amber Heard and Johnny Depp’s Case

KUTUB.ID – Amber Heard and Johnny Depp’s case is currently viral. Woman, too, can be an abuser. Being in a ‘weaker’ body and ‘smaller’ size does not make you immune from being penalized when you actually are the abuser. A huge lesson for the day.

This opinion came from contemplating what Johnny Depp had been through after Amber Heard ‘falsely’ accused him of being a domestic violator. Heard reported him in 2016 for being abusive since their early marriage days.

The couple who married on February 3, 2015, fell apart after the “May 21” happened. Heard claimed that they had an argument that left her with a bruised eye. The report which made Johnny Depp’s entertainment career collapse and being banned from a huge movie franchise that grew his name. 

Years of the conflict between them two, the people were shocked by leaked recordings of Depp and Heard occurring before the reported case happened. There, she was admitting herself that she did hit Johnny Depp and not promising to not get physical, again.

In one of the conversations, Heard in between her outbreaks, saying: “tell the world Johnny, tell them… I Johnny Depp, a man, I’m a victim too of domestic violence… and see how many people believe or side with you.” 

The statement implicitly implies that a man’s confession of being a victim of domestic violence is less likely to be believed by the public than a woman’s confession. Which then emphasized by, “you’re bigger… and you’re stronger…I was a 155lb woman”.

Sadly, this hard pill is a reality that we need to swallow. Whereas the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence had reported that 1 in 4 women and 1 in 9 men experience severe intimate partner physical violence, people are still not easily believing that women abusive.

Which is proven by how society treats Heard’s case where she was more believed and approved to be an ambassador for women’s rights for domestic violence despite once being arrested for the same reason on her ex-girlfriend.

It proves that gender had nothing to do with victim or perpetrator labeling. We often find how women harass men online or offline. Over-sensual dictions like ’rahim anget’, female gazes are the most heard and seen. 

The labeling on who’s who, which gender fits the victim or perpetrator characterizations are, too, a restraining trait which limits some gender to freely speak up. The labeling made them more vulnerable and hesitant as they might not be believed and would’ve been labeled as weak.

Once again, gender has nothing to do with violence. Everyone can be an abuser and it’s our job to be on the victim’s side and believe the evidence and their testimony.  

written by Diyanah Nisa