Remarks on Single Testimony in Cases regarding Gender’s Violence

Abstract

Three main comments are made on the text of Ramírez Ortiz «El testimonio único de la víctima en el proceso penal desde la perspectiva de género». In the first place, it is proposed to conceive of the demands of gender’s perspective with respect to single testimony in two senses. On the one hand, as a normative proposal, on the other hand, as an epistemic proposal. This distinction has an impact on how that requirement affects the principle of innocence. Second, it introduces some distinctions in order to address in more detail the problems stemming from stereotypes regarding the assessment of victim’s tsestimony. Finally, an argument is introduced about the more general consequences that implicit biases have for the evaluation of testimony in general.