Judge the rapist, not the victim

As a society, we must challenge the myths informing our attitude to sexual violence, writes Ellen O’Malley-Dunlop

RAPE and sexual assault are subjects surrounded by ignorance, fear and myths; ignorance when people do not understand the brutal reality of sexual violence; fear on the part of people who feel vulnerable or who have been victimised; and myths that minimise the problem and contribute to ambivalent attitudes about the role of the victim in incidents of sexual assault.

Sometimes we are told that people don’t want to hear or read any more horror stories about rape and child sex abuse, but unless we talk about these heinous crimes in our society, and try and understand why they are committed, they will remain underground and continue to be committed.