Behaviour can increase risk of rape

IN your survey of attitudes to rape (March 26-28), people were asked whether a woman was partly, totally, or not at all to blame if she became the victim of rape in a variety of circumstances, including situations where she was drunk or drugged, walking alone in deserted places, wearing provocative clothes, had gone home alone with a man, etc.

Your accompanying comments were unbalanced. In general, the project seemed more focused on assigning blame than on reducing the incidence of this crime. You brushed aside the majority opinion which revealed that where a woman has voluntarily placed herself in a dangerous situation, she cannot escape some of the responsibility.

Yet this is routine in insurance claims. One party may be said to be 20% responsible, the other party 80%, and so on. This is applied common sense.

Is a driver in an accident given a lighter sentence because he is drunk or on drugs? On the contrary, the sentence might actually be increased because of his contributory negligence.

In countries where there are wild animals on the loose, we do not think highly of somebody who ventures out alone, hoping for the best, and declaring, “I have a right to walk down this path.”

Unfortunately, there are wild animals out there in the real world. Yes, young people of both sexes must be taught right from wrong and self-discipline must be instilled. But to teach young girls and women that they may disregard prudence in dress or placing themselves in vulnerable situations, while expecting all males to accept a ‘no’ in each and every situation, is out of touch with the real world. We are not excusing the man if we warn women that some males are not going to follow the rules.

The survey shunned the least suggestion of reminding women that their own behaviour might be a contributory factor: instead, we are all to be “educated” to ignore this possibility.

This is not in any way to excuse — much less condone — a man’s criminal behaviour. It is to remind everybody that warning of these realities is not to condone the crime, and to remind women that contributory negligence cannot be brushed aside.

Of course men are wrong to take advantage of vulnerable women. Likewise, women, for their own protection, must avoid situations in which they place themselves at increased risk of assault.

Micheál Ó Fearghail

Sallybrook House

Glanmire

Co Cork