The crime is disturbing and does not require further commentary. What does is the warning issued by police after the crime:
"Police issued several warnings to women following the attack. Women are advised to travel in groups and stick to well-lit areas, carry a cellphone, refuse drinks from strangers and not leave drinks unattended. If drinking alcohol, women are urged to plan a safe ride home by cab or with people they know."This warning leaves a very bad taste in my mouth for three reasons. First, it's troubling when police suggest people change their habits because of criminal behaviour. It's one thing to advise people to lock their doors and to tell children not to accept candy from strangers. But to tell people they shouldn't go for a walk alone at night, or without a cellphone, is a limit on personal freedom that seems excessive to me. There are still some hold-outs who don't own cellphones because they can't afford them or have no need for them. And it's not always practical for people to travel in groups in the evening. If the police are suggesting that we shouldn't feel safe going for walks at night, our society is in really rough shape.
The warning is also very troubling because it implicitly blames the victim. What the four men allegedly did was horrible. It was in no way the victim's fault. To suggest, even very indirectly, that perhaps this happened because the victim didn't watch her drink, or was walking alone, or wasn't carrying a cellphone, is not something I would have expected to come out of the public relations department of a major Canadian police force.
Finally, the warning is troubling because it specifically targets women. Sure, women are statistically more likely to be sexual assault victims. Some quick online research suggests women make up 90% of sexual assault victims, but that means men make up 10% of the victims. And not surprisingly, those same stats suggest men aren't as likely to report sexual assaults as women — one could guess that's because there's a stereotype that it's not acceptable for men to be victims of sexual assault. By singling out women with their warning, the police are only perpetuating the stereotypes by implying that sexual assault can't or shouldn't happen to men.
The police should take a lead from politicians dealing with terrorism. Level with the public about what happened and advise them in broad terms to be "vigilant." But don't encourage people to bow down to criminals by curtailing basic freedoms. And don't single out women — sexual assault is an issue that transcends gender.
The police don't mean any disrespect to women - they're just offering sage advice. It is not meant to suggest the victim is at fault for the attack. A often-overlooked stat on stranger-on-stranger rape is that victims differ widely in age, economic/cultural/religious status, attire,and setting, however, what they have in common is that they were outside (on street, at bus stop, etc.) alone between certain hours (which escapes me, at the moment, but if memory serves its night-time and early morning when fewer witnesses are on the street).
ReplyDeleteNice to see you writing again, Dave. Cheers, Jo
I entirely agree with your post here. Reading that article the other day (TC Online) I thought "What the FUCK. I will walk at night by myself if I want to; Rapists are the ones that shouldn't be allowed out at night."
ReplyDeleteOther scary fact: 10 assaults in 10 days in Victoria according to the Victoria Sexual Assault Centre. This is the only one that made the news.
To Anonymous (above): That 'sage advice' promotes the idea that the victim was raped because she/he was disregarding their safety. By issuing this notice, the police are shifting the blame from the rapists being rapists to the victim being in an unsafe location (outside at night alone).
An alternative perspective… :)
ReplyDeleteWe are only as good as our options. The police are alerting females (likely to be young and desirable) the realities of being in a particular environment - isolated where little visibility and mens (of low class) desires can run freely without penalty.
And as for suggesting males and females somehow share an equal chance of sexual assault, flat out false. Not even the most exuberant rationalizing will save such an argument. Males make up 10% of sex assault victims, true. Put this this figure into context, almost all of those males were assaulted by other males, either as children or later in life.
No ethnographic study in the world has come across a band of females collaborating to war or rape. Every ethnographic study has found an array of instances of males warring and raping. We're mammals, rationalizing ones, not rational mammals as Robert Heinlein wrote.
We are not equal, the end. So take up the police advice and look both ways before you cross the street, even if the walking man is on and you think its your right to cross that street. The walking man is like legislation, its only as good as its ability to be enforced and others willingness to follow the rules.