He went on: “I agree with consequence culture. It’s important to suffer consequences because of your actions… If the consequence of what I did is that I lose my career, I accept that. My career is superficial and it has a shelf life. Breaking the stigma of domestic abuse will not happen if it continues to be treated lightly. But if anything I have to say helps someone before they reach their breaking point, I think that has to be a good thing.”
Regardless of how he feels now, or who he has worked to become, there should be consequences for his actions — even Meighan himself purported to agree with that. But other than 200 hours of community service and some bad press, Meighan has not exactly faced consequences that match the seriousness of his crime. In fact, he is now, three years later, potentially being celebrated in his industry.
Consequences aren’t only about ensuring that abusers are punished — it’s also about the message being sent to other culprits and to their victims.
“Should these men win an award, the organisers should consider how women who have survived domestic abuse and rape will feel watching someone already convicted, as well as an alleged rapist, being celebrated in such a public way,” Women’s Aid head of media Teresa Parker said. “At Women’s Aid we would urge organisers to consider how they approach this, as for many survivors of abuse, these men’s inclusion on the list will already be a sign that these crimes are not taken seriously – the music industry has to consider the impact on women of who they celebrate, and how they celebrate them.”
In other words, the BRITs’ decision goes far beyond Meighan’s individual story — regardless of how sorry he is now or he much works he has done on himself, the decision to celebrate him sends a chilling message to victims of domestic abuse everywhere.
And these messages have a real-world impact. Reports from Refuge have shown that a quarter of women will experience domestic abuse throughout their lives — however, fewer than 24% of domestic abuse crimes are reported to the police. In other words, domestic abuse is a widespread issue — and yet we still haven’t created a culture in which women feel they will receive the support they need to actually report it. And celebrating a convicted abuser certainly will not help.
In a world where cancel culture remains a hot topic, the BRITs’ decision to longlist Meighan proves that so often, an abuser’s life and career can continue on. Meanwhile, women in the UK still feel unable to come forward about abuse for fear they won’t be believed, or, that their abusers won’t face consequences. And in some cases, these abusers are even publicly celebrated.
GLAMOUR reached out to the BRIT Awards for comment.