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Crime

13th Sep 2021

Alanis Morissette claims she was raped by multiple men when she was 15

Kieran Galpin

She did not name her alleged abusers

In a new documentary film, singer and actor Alanis Morissette has claimed she was raped by multiple men in the 90s, reports the Washington Post.

Set to premiere at the Toronto Film Festival on September 13, HBO film Jagged includes an interview with Morissette during which she details her time in the 1990s and rise to rock stardom – but also shares that as a 15-year-old she was raped in Canada.

Morissette, 47, says: “It took me years in therapy to even admit there had been any kind of victimisation on my part.

“I would always say I was consenting, and then I’d be reminded like, ‘Hey, you were 15. You’re not consenting at 15.’ Now I’m like, ‘Oh yeah, they’re all pedophiles. It’s all statutory rape.’”

Morissette did not name any of the alleged abusers in the film and went as far as to say that the allegations had been dismissed by people in the industry.

“I did tell a few people and it kind of fell on deaf ears,” she said. “It would usually be a stand-up, walk-out-of-the-room moment.”

She continued to say that she did not come forward because it would have been ignored.

“You know a lot of people say, ‘Why did that woman wait 30 years?’ And I’m like, ‘f*** off. They don’t wait 30 years. No one was listening or their livelihood was threatened or their family was threatened.’

“The whole ‘why do women wait?’ thing? Women don’t wait. Our culture doesn’t listen.”

The film’s director, Alison Klayman, told the Washington Post: “Of course I wish Alanis could be there. It was a privilege to make this film and I’m really proud of it. Hopefully there will be other opportunities in the future for her to come to film events.”

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