Canadian singer and actress, Alanis Morissette has come forward as a victim of multiple statutory rapes.
The Jagged Little Pill singer made the disturbing claims in a documentary premiering on Monday at the Toronto Film Festival, according to the Washington Post, which viewed the film.
The HBO film, titled Jagged, includes an interview in which Morissette says that multiple men had sex with her when she was a 15-year-old Canadian pop star. She also said that it took her years to realize she was a sex attack victim
‘It took me years in therapy to even admit there had been any kind of victimization on my part,’ says Morissette, now 47, in the film.
‘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.’
The age of consent in Canada is currently 16. When Morissette was a teenager, it was 14, but set a higher bar ‘when there is a relationship of trust, authority or dependency,’ according to the report.
Morissette did not name any of the alleged abusers in the film. She said that people in the industry had brushed off her allegations in the past.
‘I did tell a few people and it kind of fell on deaf ears,’ the singer also revealed. ‘It would usually be a stand-up, walk-out-of-the-room moment.’
For reasons that are unclear, Morissette plans to shut the film’s premiere at the Toronto Film Festival, apparently in a dispute with the filmmakers, according to the Post.
The newspaper reported that there is little in the documentary that could be considered unflattering to Morissette, who appeared to be an enthusiastic interview subject.
Director Alison Klayman declined to speculate on Morissette’s feelings when reached by the 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,’ the director said.
The alleged assaults that Morissette discusses in the film would have taken place in the late 1980s, when she was was recording demos for Geffen Records.
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