The Primary Cause of Rape
Rape is not caused by what you wear or where you go.
Rape is caused by *gasp* rapists.
It is not caused by what you wear. It is not caused by the time of day or a specific location. It is not caused by decisions that victims make. It is caused by an individual that decided to perpetrate a sexual crime on another person. The causative factor of rape is the perpetrator of the crime.
This is why victim-blaming is bullshit.
Society constantly deflects blame towards victims of sexual assault.
As though the act of rape is something that has to be explained, they think that in order for someone to have raped another person, there had to be a reason that caused them to do it. They think that the perpetrator may have been led on, and therefore had to follow through with the actions that were beyond their control. Or that they misunderstood the signals provided, or didn’t hear the words or missed the lack of words that indicated non-consent.
All of a sudden, the years that someone has existed on earth that taught them the nuances of human behaviour went through the window — suddenly, there was no way for them to decipher that the individual they were with did not want to have sex.
Did she say no? Did she fight or struggle in any way? Did she tell anyone? Why is she coming out about this years later? Was it someone she had sex with before or someone she was clearly interested in? Why did she go home with him?
People search for reasons to condemn victims. Is it really that difficult to figure out whether or not someone actually wants to have sex with them? Are people so incapable of reading body language? Is it really that impossible to ensure consent before sex commences?
The insensitive and inappropriate questions that are asked about and of rape victims are really a reflection of the insecurities of others. Some of whom may have actually already committed sexual assault. Many are others who are afraid that they may become victims of false or less-than-accurate claims of assault.
But, consider that rather than insensitively propagating rape culture, why don't we instead focus on what we can do to ensure consent is obtained in our sex lives? What harm could that do other than increasing the intimacy of the connection between us and our sex partners?
So, maybe we should stop emphasizing what women should do to protect themselves from rape.
Stop stressing that women should go to self-defense classes or walk around with mini-weapons. Stop pretending that what women wear has ultimate control over the actions of others. Stop giving more weight to where women should go and what women should or shouldn’t do in order for us to prevent someone from raping us.
Instead, I want to see more public service announcements that promote seeking consent. I want to see more commercials and shows teaching young men that they actually do have control of their bodies — and that being turned on is not an excuse to take advantage of someone else. I want to see more classes developed to promote the development of healthy relationships, including healthy sexual interactions.
Instead of telling women what to wear, how about we tell men that choice of clothing is never an invitation to rape. How about we incessantly reiterate the fact that women have been raped wearing burkas, religious clothing, pajamas, work clothes, gym clothes, bikinis, club dresses, school uniforms. How about we emphasize that choice of clothing doesn’t actually matter, and we stop making that an excuse for rapists to use when targeting victims.
How about we target prevention efforts at rapists. How about we remove the excuses that “okay” rape by eliminating any talk about what a victim should or should not have done. How about we cultivate a culture where women are not made responsible for the actions of others.
What I did, what I wore, where I went, and who I trusted were not invitations that forced someone to rape me. Neither, of course, did these actions themselves rape me —no, a person raped me.
A rapist raped me.
How about we focus on that?
Valicia France, 2019
Rape is caused by *gasp* rapists.
It is not caused by what you wear. It is not caused by the time of day or a specific location. It is not caused by decisions that victims make. It is caused by an individual that decided to perpetrate a sexual crime on another person. The causative factor of rape is the perpetrator of the crime.
This is why victim-blaming is bullshit.
Society constantly deflects blame towards victims of sexual assault.
As though the act of rape is something that has to be explained, they think that in order for someone to have raped another person, there had to be a reason that caused them to do it. They think that the perpetrator may have been led on, and therefore had to follow through with the actions that were beyond their control. Or that they misunderstood the signals provided, or didn’t hear the words or missed the lack of words that indicated non-consent.
All of a sudden, the years that someone has existed on earth that taught them the nuances of human behaviour went through the window — suddenly, there was no way for them to decipher that the individual they were with did not want to have sex.
Did she say no? Did she fight or struggle in any way? Did she tell anyone? Why is she coming out about this years later? Was it someone she had sex with before or someone she was clearly interested in? Why did she go home with him?
People search for reasons to condemn victims. Is it really that difficult to figure out whether or not someone actually wants to have sex with them? Are people so incapable of reading body language? Is it really that impossible to ensure consent before sex commences?
The insensitive and inappropriate questions that are asked about and of rape victims are really a reflection of the insecurities of others. Some of whom may have actually already committed sexual assault. Many are others who are afraid that they may become victims of false or less-than-accurate claims of assault.
But, consider that rather than insensitively propagating rape culture, why don't we instead focus on what we can do to ensure consent is obtained in our sex lives? What harm could that do other than increasing the intimacy of the connection between us and our sex partners?
So, maybe we should stop emphasizing what women should do to protect themselves from rape.
Stop stressing that women should go to self-defense classes or walk around with mini-weapons. Stop pretending that what women wear has ultimate control over the actions of others. Stop giving more weight to where women should go and what women should or shouldn’t do in order for us to prevent someone from raping us.
Instead, I want to see more public service announcements that promote seeking consent. I want to see more commercials and shows teaching young men that they actually do have control of their bodies — and that being turned on is not an excuse to take advantage of someone else. I want to see more classes developed to promote the development of healthy relationships, including healthy sexual interactions.
Instead of telling women what to wear, how about we tell men that choice of clothing is never an invitation to rape. How about we incessantly reiterate the fact that women have been raped wearing burkas, religious clothing, pajamas, work clothes, gym clothes, bikinis, club dresses, school uniforms. How about we emphasize that choice of clothing doesn’t actually matter, and we stop making that an excuse for rapists to use when targeting victims.
How about we target prevention efforts at rapists. How about we remove the excuses that “okay” rape by eliminating any talk about what a victim should or should not have done. How about we cultivate a culture where women are not made responsible for the actions of others.
What I did, what I wore, where I went, and who I trusted were not invitations that forced someone to rape me. Neither, of course, did these actions themselves rape me —no, a person raped me.
A rapist raped me.
How about we focus on that?
Valicia France, 2019
