Dangerous game to categorise different circumstances of rape

THERE is much that we tip toe around when discussing the issue of rape; much that’s left unsaid because it risks offending those who have already been so gravely offended by a rapist.

The truth is that by not facing up to some of these issues, for fear of causing further hurt, or damaging the feminist agenda, we maximise the risk for women rather than keeping them safer.

There are so many ways that women suffer harm in the discussion of rape, and the attitude of society to it, that we veer away from the uncomfortable truths rather than give fodder to the victim-blaming brigade.