Lesley McMillan, FRSE, professor of Criminology and Sociology at Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU), associate director of the Scottish Institute for Policing Research,[1] and associate director of the Centre for Research in Families and Relationships based at the University of Edinburgh,[2] researches gender-based violence and criminal justice systems. She influenced reforms in police training for best practice when dealing with traumatised rape or sexual violence survivors,[1] and was behind a multimedia campaign "Erase the Grey" which challenges traditional views on gender-based violence.[3]
Lesley McMillan | |
|---|---|
| Occupation(s) | professor of Criminology and Sociology |
| Employer | Glasgow Caledonian University |
| Known for | research on gender based violence influencing changes in police practice for rape or domestic violence survivors |
Career and research
editMcMillan became a member of the Young Academy, and is registered by the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), as a counsellor, volunteering for the NHS.[4]
Her work specialises in gendered and sexual violence and criminal justice, especially initial policing but also covering the whole system's responses to survivors, and also wider related areas like sexual victimising of university students.[5] She is an associate director of the Scottish Institute for Policing Research, and leads its Public Protection Network, and is also an associate director of multiple partner Centre for Research on Families and Relationships, based at the University of Edinburgh.[1] McMillan supervises Ph.Ds across a range of research such as 'policing rape; stalking; criminal justice policy.. on violence;.. initiatives on youth crime; legal defences to women who kill violent partners; rape as a war crime'.[5]
McMillan also heads up the GCU Masters Programme in Research (Strategy) in the Graduate School.[5]
McMillan has joined in public debate on what constitutes rape,[6] and as she studied 408 case histories, exploring why so many rape cases are dropped. The study noted that 90% of attacks were by people the women knew, or were in a sexual relationship with, and those were more likely to be dropped, of her sample only 10% went all the way to trial.[7][8] She also commented on the anti-rape devices and apps, which she viewed as endorsing the misconception of 'stranger danger' and that rapists are mainly 'jumping out at night.'[9][10] In 2019, she extended her work with students and Police Scotland to a social media campaign, 'Erase the Grey' [11][3] as a way of offering help to reduce the average of nine people a year murdered in domestic abuse,[12] and a 'hard-hitting' approach to sexual risks on campus to help guide students and link to sources of support and help locally.[13][14]
Following the murder of Sarah Everard by a member of the Metropolitan Police (the Met),[15] McMillan's work was quoted by another rape survivor, who was planning to write a book on her own experiences, quoting the findings that police believed women were lying about their rape or sexual assaults between 5% and 95% of the time, but her analysis had shown that no more than 3-4% of such claims could have been 'fabricated'.[16]
GCU Principal & Vice-Chancellor Pamela Gillies welcomed McMillan's election as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, saying "Her research expertise in the area of sexual violence has garnered international acclaim and has influenced professional practice by police, governmental agencies and the third sector."[1] McMillan was nominated by the university as their candidate for the 2021 AdvanceHE National Teaching Excellence Award.[17]
Research publications
editMcMillan's research and selected publications are on-line,[18] and listed in Google Scholar,[19] and JSTOR.[20]
Books include her 2007 comparative account "Feminists organising against gendered violence" publisher Palgrave Macmillan,[21] for example refuges provided by Northern Ireland's women's liberation movement. In 2012, a further study of Diversity, Standardization and Social Transformation: Gender, Ethnicity and Inequality in Europe publisher Taylor & Francis,[22] looked at the interactions between national, European and regional regulatory aspects. She also co-edited in 2012 a theory and practice compendium "Violence against women."[23]
External links
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d "Professor Lesley McMillan elected as RSE Fellow | Scottish Institute for Policing Research". www.sipr.ac.uk. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
- ^ "Centre for Research on Families and Relationships - associate directors". Centre for Research on Families and Relationships. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
- ^ a b "GCU And Police Scotland Launch Erase The Grey Campaign". Glasgow City of Science & Innovation. 27 November 2019. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
- ^ "Lesley McMillan". Young Academy of Scotland. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
- ^ a b c "McMillan, Lesley | Glasgow School for Business and Society". www.gcu.ac.uk. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
- ^ Williams, Rachel (24 August 2012). "George Galloway's rape comments 'made me feel sick', says rape victim". the Guardian. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
- ^ Brady, Jon (29 June 2020). "Why experts believe Scotland's domestic abuse statistics are only the tip of the iceberg". Evening Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
- ^ McMillan, Lesley (2 January 2018). "Police officers' perceptions of false allegations of rape". Journal of Gender Studies. 27 (1): 9–21. doi:10.1080/09589236.2016.1194260. ISSN 0958-9236. S2CID 148033737.
- ^ Riordan, Conor (14 December 2017). "Anti-rape apps 'place responsibility on everyone except perpetrators'". GlasgowLive. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
- ^ White, Deborah; McMillan, Lesley (1 August 2020). "Innovating the problem away? A critical study of anti-rape technologies". Violence Against Women. 26 (10): 1120–1140. doi:10.1177/1077801219856115. ISSN 1077-8012. PMID 31327309. S2CID 198131612.
- ^ "Erase the Grey". GCU. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
- ^ Spowart, Nan (25 November 2019). "Police launch social media campaign to tackle gender-based violence". The National. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
- ^ "Erase the Grey | University of Leicester". le.ac.uk. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
- ^ "Erase The Grey Campaign at Glasgow Kelvin College". Retrieved 27 August 2021.
- ^ Dodd, Vikram (8 June 2021). "PC Wayne Couzens pleads guilty to kidnap and rape of Sarah Everard". the Guardian. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
- ^ Wright, Robert; Jacobs, Emma (16 March 2021). "Met faces its MeToo moment with anger over attitude of officers". www.ft.com. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
- ^ "Teaching Excellence: Prof Lesley McMillan selected for the prestigious National Teaching Fellow competition". GCU Academic Development & Student Learning. 3 March 2021. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
- ^ "Lesley McMillan". ResearchOnline. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
- ^ "Lesley McMillan". scholar.google.com. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
- ^ "JSTOR: Search Results - Lesley McMillan". www.jstor.org. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
- ^ McMillan, Lesley (2007). Feminists organising against gendered violence. Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-230-00772-7. OCLC 141483104.
- ^ Diversity, standardization and social transformation gender, ethnicity and inequality in Europe. Max Koch, Lesley MacMillan, Bram Peper. London. 2011. ISBN 978-1-315-57774-6. OCLC 1073788024.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: others (link) - ^ Violence against women : current theory and practice in domestic abuse, sexual violence, and exploitation. Nancy Lombard, Lesley McMillan. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers. 2013. ISBN 978-0-85700-330-0. OCLC 825978151.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)