Submitted by media girl on 21 November 2005 - 9:32pm
An ICM poll in the UK reveals public attitudes about rape:
A new ICM opinion poll commissioned by Amnesty International indicates that a third (34%) of people in the UK believe that a woman is partially or totally responsible for being raped if she has behaved in a flirtatious manner.The poll, ‘Sexual Assault Research’, published today (21 November) as part of Amnesty International’s ‘Stop Violence Against Women’ campaign, shows that similar “blame culture� attitudes exist over clothing, drinking, perceived promiscuity, personal safety and whether a woman has clearly said “no� to the man.
Some findings:
- 26% believe a woman is partially or totally responsible for being raped if she wears sexy or revealing clothing.
- 22% believe a woman is partially or totally responsible for being raped if she has had many sexual partners.
- 8% believe a woman is totally responsible for being raped if she has had many sexual partners.
- 30% believe a woman is totally or partially responsible for being raped if she gets drunk.
- 37% believe a woman is totally or partially responsible for being raped if she doesn't clearly say "no."
- 96% either underestimated or had no idea just how prevalent rape is (in the UK).
- Only 4% guessed as high as 1/4 of the actual numbers of rape each year.
- 6 out of 7 do not know that only 5.6% of reported rapes actually result in conviction. (Most guessed an average of a 26% conviction rate -- five times higher than the reality.)
Read the full report (.doc).
Volsunga puts it in perspective:
Until we dispell these myths about consent and victim responsibility, the rape conviction rate will not improve. And, aside from the media scrutiny of clear-up rates, the rape rate itself will not be affected; men who do not think what they do is rape, or even wrong, are not likely to question their own actions. A society that sees rape as the product of men’s unrestrained and unrestrainable sexuality combined with women’s provocation, or as that of evil men preying on pure women, will never realise the link between sexism, the position of women socially, and rape.
And that's the point, because in all these hand-wringing discussions about rape what's never discussed is the tacit assumption that men rape, and it's the woman's responsibility to stay out of the way and not provoke the beast.
In other words, men rape. Period. So if it happens, it's often just because the woman crossed the line.
I wonder if that applies to other crimes. Guys, if you don't jam your wallet down the front of your jockey shorts, and you get pick-pocketed, are you responsible? If a robber shoots you for your watch, are you responsible? If your employer screws you over on your contracted retirement benefits, are you responsible?
Interesting, though, the assumptions about rape. --Especially the assumptions that rape is a crime about sex.
Rape is about control. Rape is about power. At the very least, rape is about selfishness, ownership of the other. The very definition of rape is that the victim does not have a choice. So if the woman has no choice in the matter, then why is she assumed to be responsible for it?
(See title.)
[Via ampersand.]
Comments
5 comments postedI agree with ALL of the points being made save for this one:
30% believe a woman is totally or partially responsible for being raped if she gets drunk.
If a person gets drunk or otherwise becomes self-intoxicated, the person "technically" and technically might not be considered responsible, but the person is responsible for incapacitating him or herself. So, while no one ever deserves to be raped or otherwise molested, there is no removal of culpability because one conveniently chemically self-impares judgment. Of course, if someone is slipped a Roofie, then they are only Karmically responsible for having made poor choices as to their company and environment.
Here is a direct analog: If a person gets drunk and drives a car into another person causing his death, being drunk does not mitigate his guilt. More to the point, he is probably MORE guilty because he created the situation, which likely would not have occurred had he remained sober.
Drunk driving is a crime. Being raped while drunk is being a crime victim. Not at all the same thing. Quite the opposite, in fact.
Does a woman give up her right to not be raped if she gets drunk?
Emphatically, NO. However, the discussion here was on the lines of "responsibility" not "legality." To reiterate: self-administering intoxicants to the point of impairment is the responsibility of the person doing the self-administration. While she does not deserve to be raped under amy circumstances—and I can even go along with the point that she is not responsible for being raped—, she is still complicit in placing herself in the position. It doesn't excuse the action of the rapist who should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law; neither does it excuse her actions.
I scanned the scenario responses and found it interesting that there didn't seem to be any differences between men's and women's attitudes on whether the woman was partially or totally responsible for the rape if she was drunk, wearing revealing/sexy clothes, etc.
Do you know of any equivalent studies in the United States? I heard somewhere that at trial, women jurors tend to be more judgmental of rape victims and sexual-harassment plaintiffs than men do, and I would be interested in seeing if there's any truth to that.
--|PW|--
"Of course, if someone is slipped a Roofie, then they are only Karmically responsible for having made poor choices as to their company and environment."
Maybe it's b/c I haven't finished my coffee, but this sentence isn't making any sensible sense. A woman is *Karmically* responsible for her attack b/c a predator used a drug to intentionally disable her in order to rape her? And this is b/c she knowingly hung out in the company of a rapist or a rapists' bar?!! Do you think somehow any woman would know that someone near her in a bar is a rapist and she's just playing the odds for fun? And now she's being paid back for being so cruel by having been raped?
Erm, WTF??!!
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