Education may change attitudes - Rape statistics

It is a horrifying image but, at the same time, strangely a comforting one as we tend to see rapists and those who sexually assault as violent, sub-human monsters intent on subduing their victims who are strangers to them.

The reality, though, is even more horrifying, as statistics show that not only are the majority of rapists male but that they are often known to their victims — sometimes friends, boyfriends or members of their own family.

There is a photo online showing a young, good-looking male student holding a placard declaring: “This is what a rapist looks like.” It was posted in response to an attempt at Trinity College Dublin to make workshops on sexual consent mandatory for first-year students.