Our attitude to rape - We must stop blaming the victims

TODAY we publish a deeply disturbing survey on rape and rape victims that should make us all stop and think about how we judge women, their attackers and our society’s attitude towards what provokes sexual crimes.

The findings will make harrowing reading for those, especially women, who thought they were living in a society where justice was blind and that the state was prepared to protect all of its citizens with vigour.

Our survey reveals the shocking statistic that more than 30% of people think a victim is some way responsible if she flirts with a man or fails to say “no” clearly. In another alarm-call statistic, one in 10 thinks that a victim is entirely at fault if she has had a series of sexual partners.