“Like a spider, she drew him into her web.” This was said of an 11-year-old girl when she defended against a guy who tried to rape her. Rape victims across the world are blamed for luring guys to rape women.
In this case, which happened in Cleveland, Texas in 2010, the 11-year-old girl was repeatedly gang raped by several men. You might agree that this was a clear cut case. But the defense said the girl was audacious enough to wear makeup.
Facts were twisted and used to blame the victim. The public were shocked that the men had been “seduced” into such behavior. There was a lot of concern about the case affecting the men for the rest of their lives.
These attitude is the product of the culture we live in. We expect woman to adhere to rules and men’s unspoken policies to avoid getting raped. Girls are told not to go out alone at night, not to talk to strange men you don’t know, not to wear revealing clothing.
We cannot keep putting the responsibility of rape prevention onto the victims makes it easier for people to blame them if a rape does occur.
Rape doesn’t result from the actions of a small number of men. We need to rewrite rules of society.