Rape victim demands end to blame culture

A campaign to challenge a perception that women are to blame for rape because of the way they dress, drink or behave has been launched in Bristol.

The series of posters have been released in the run up to Christmas, to raise awarenesses of the anti-rape adage ‘no means no’ and emphasise that there is never an excuse for rape.

This is the second year the campaign has run in Bristol and campaigners say the message is clear – the victim is never to blame, however much they have had to drink, even if they said yes to other sexual activities and no-one has the right to sex just because they are married or in a relationship.

‘Ashamed and embarrassed’

‘Susan’ was raped by a friend after a night out in Bristol three years ago: “I went out for early birthday celebrations with friends. We drank a lot… my friend said he didn’t want me catching the night bus home on my own and asked me to stay. I had no reason not to trust him as he was a friend. He came onto me and I said ‘no’ a lot, I carried on saying ‘no,’ but eventually he raped me.”

She said that she felt “incredibly embarrassed” because he was a friend, so she did not report the rape for a month. The case was later dropped because of a lack of witnesses, but Susan has gone on to help other victims of sexual assault.
 
Susan said she got involved in the campaign because women were being told rape was their fault, because they had drunk too much or wore the wrong clothes.

“It really angered me,” she said. “I truly believe there is no excuse for rape. There is such a stigma about rape. It is really important for women to understand that if it happens to them there is nothing to be ashamed of. Even if the person is someone you know and love and trust – you do not have to be ashamed and embarrassed.”

‘Challenging views’

Shabana Kausar, Bristol Against Violence and Abuse (BAVA), said the perception that, in some way, women are responsible for rape because of the way they dress, behave or the amount they drink has to be challenged: “It was fantastic that during the debate about Ched Evans (the Sheffield United footballer found guilty of rape) how many people came forward and disagreed that in some way the woman was to blame.

“The message is filtering through and it needs to go further. The campaign is a start and we are challenging views and cultures on this. It will not happen overnight but our message is clear – it is never the fault of the victim.”

Today is International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, but Kausar said there is still a long way to go, especially in the way rape cases are handled by the police. “[Avon and Somerset Police and Crime Commissioner] Sue Mountstevens has identified this as one of her priorities and this sends a strong message… but it is important that [police] work is of a good quality.”

Victim blaming

In 2013/14 there were 770 sexual offences reported to the police in Bristol. Nationally it is estimated that only one one quarter of women who are raped or sexually assaulted report it. Campaigners say they want to reassure women that it is not their fault and they should report it.

However, last week Avon and Somerset Police was named by an HM Inspectorate of Constabulary report as one of the worst forces in the country for recording rape.

As Bristol24/7 reported the report found that even when crimes are correctly recorded by the police, too many are removed or cancelled as recorded crimes for no good reason.

It claimed that these decisions, called “no-criming”, to incorrectly dismiss rape victims, have meant that offenders who should have been pursued by the police have not been brought to justice. In Avon and Somerset, 32 per cent of these no-crime decisions were deemed to be “incorrect”.
 
Police and Crime Commissioner Sue Mountstevens said: “Rape and sexual assault is never the victim’s fault.  There are no excuses, the victim is never to blame and together we need to challenge the attitudes some people have towards rape and towards victim blaming.

“I hope the campaign will empower people to avoid, challenge and report sexually violent behaviour and change attitudes towards rape.  We also have a number of great organisations out there who can help and offer independent, specialist support and we need to raise awareness of them.”

Increased funding

Next year Bristol City Council will increase its funding for sexual abuse services from £75,000 to £115,000 from April 2015. Councillor Gus Hoyt, assistant mayor for public health said: “Research has shown that a large number of people wrongly feel that women bear some responsibility.  This is a perception that must, must be challenged.

“Blaming the woman removes the responsibility away from where it always should be: the perpetrator.”