Kanye West allegations, Government Experts at Hand programme, Author Doireann Ní Ghríofa

Woman's Hour57mJune 10, 2026

AI-Generated Summary

A groundbreaking civil lawsuit against Kanye West (now known as Ye) by model Jennifer Arm, who alleges he choked and sexually assaulted her during a 2010 music video shoot, takes center stage in this episode of Woman's Hour. Arm, a former America's Next Top Model contestant, describes being left isolated and traumatized after the incident, with no one stepping in despite multiple witnesses. Her case, filed under New York’s Gender Motivated Violence Act, leverages a temporary extension of the statute of limitations—allowing her to sue 14 years later. West’s legal team argues the act was a deliberate artistic performance protected by the First Amendment, claiming she didn’t object and was a willing participant. The case hinges on whether consent can be informed when someone is caught off guard in a high-pressure, hierarchical environment. Meanwhile, the UK government’s new 'Experts at Hand' programme aims to revolutionize support for children with special educational needs by embedding specialists directly in schools—bypassing lengthy diagnosis processes. The initiative, backed by £1.8 billion, promises faster, preventative intervention, though experts question whether bureaucracy will truly be reduced. In a poignant literary segment, poet Doireann Ní Ghríofa recounts her immersive research into a Victorian asylum in Cork, reconstructing the lives of forgotten women through fragmented case notes, using the word "said" as a portal to reclaim their voices.

Key Takeaways

Jennifer Arm filed a civil lawsuit against Kanye West 14 years after alleging sexual assault during a 2010 music video shoot, citing New York’s Gender Motivated Violence Act to overcome statute of limitations.

West’s legal team claims the incident was a constitutionally protected artistic performance under the First Amendment, arguing she didn’t object or leave—challenging the concept of informed consent in high-pressure creative environments.

The Experts at Hand programme will deploy 1.8 billion in funding to place educational psychologists, speech therapists, and occupational therapists directly in schools without requiring diagnoses or referrals.

Early intervention is central to the Experts at Hand model, with teams expected to reduce waiting times and prevent children from reaching crisis levels before support is offered.

Poet Doireann Ní Ghríofa used the word "said" in asylum case notes as a linguistic key to hear the voices of silenced women, reconstructing their lives in her book *Said the Dead*.

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