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Yet another rapist and yet another 'women should stay inside' response.

145 replies

Mytwopenceworth · 10/08/2005 20:39

so so

Just caught a news report about a rapist on the prowl, and the official advice is for women to not go out alone after, think it was 9pm (was listening from kitchen, so didn't catch it all).

That makes me so bloody angry. Yet another sick f*ckwit and women are supposed to cower in their homes, or go out escorted!! Bloody male police who think this is the best course of action! Put a bloody curfew on men, not women. Why is it every time they say women should be restricted in this way? Get police on the street and arrest any man out after 8pm without aproval and escort him home. THAT'S what they should stuffing well do.

And I know, the rapist will just hide and go out anyway and women have to be responsible for their own safety and a million more justifications and I suppose they're true and maybe sensible, but it still makes me feel angry that men commit these crimes but its women who have to alter their lives. Yet more power to the rapists. x a million!!!! - I wish there was a steam coming out of ears emoticon!

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WideWebWitch · 10/08/2005 20:43

Oh I know and don't even get me started on pitiful conviction rates...

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stacijc · 10/08/2005 21:05

if they know hes on the prowl catch the f**r b4 he hurts someone.

where is this btw?

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QueenOfQuotes · 10/08/2005 21:11

Northampton - just up the road from me.

And yes I KNOW that the man who did this is to blame.......but the 15yr old who was raped was raped in the early hours of the morning while walking on her own, as were most of the others (in early hours of the morning)! Which isn't really very sensible ANYWHERE IMO

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Mytwopenceworth · 10/08/2005 21:42

No it's not sensible, but it shouldn't be not sensible, if you see what I mean. A woman should be free to walk down the street at 3am wearing a boob tube and a belt for a skirt without fear!!! (I know that's an extreme way of putting it!). And we certainly shouldn't be mae to feel like if we dare to go out alone at night we deserve whatever we get, which is basically what telling women to stay inside is saying! I know I am excessively angry about this, but it's something that winds me up so much!

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WideWebWitch · 10/08/2005 21:43

I don't buy the contributory negligence argument, absolutely not.

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QueenOfQuotes · 10/08/2005 21:49

TBH I don't know many men who'd walk round several parts of Northampton on their own at 2am in the morning either

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teuch · 11/08/2005 11:36

statistically, young men between 16 and 25 are more likely to be physically attacked in the street yet we don't say they should stay indoors!

(Although I take your point QOQ about most people not venturing out at certain times in certain areas)

Devil's advocate point coming up though...if we disagree that certain actions make us more or less vulnerable to danger, why do we wear seatbelts?

I also disagree with the notion of contributory negligence but at the same time, I want to know that my loved ones take sensible precautions...

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monkeytrousers · 11/08/2005 11:38

It's a gang, isn't it? ITV will no doubt do a reconstruction tonight.

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MarsLady · 11/08/2005 11:43

when I studied sociology at school statistics showed that women were more likely to be raped at home by someone they know rather than out on the streets by a stranger.

And for what it's worth I often leave salsa clubs at 2 in the morning in London.

It's a bit of a myth to think that women only get raped late at night. Think back to recent news reports of women raped in broad daylight in what would seem to be public places.

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monkeytrousers · 11/08/2005 11:49

It's the patriarchal attitude that people object to though, isn't it? As delicate creatures we should be cosseted, etc. At the other extreme it can be used to curtail women?s freedom of movement. It?s a bit of a slippery slope but it does happen in some societies.

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teuch · 11/08/2005 11:54

Rape and sexual violence

There were 14,000 recorded rapes in 2003 and 11,441 recorded rapes in 2002. This represents an 8% increase.

One in 20 women in England and Wales has been the victim of rape.

167 women are raped every day.

Only one in five attacks is reported to the police.

Women are most likely to be sexually attacked by men they know in some way, most often partners (32%) or acquaintances (22%).

?Current partners? (at the time of the attack) were responsible for 45 per cent of rapes reported to the British Crime Survey.

?Strangers? were only responsible for 8 per cent of rapes.

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monkeytrousers · 11/08/2005 11:58

Can I juxtapose the 1 in 20 women have been raped with the 1 in 25 children that are not apparently their resident fathers progeny..It's just a thought.

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milward · 11/08/2005 12:00

Why imprision the women in the home when it's the criminal that should be jailed.

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teuch · 11/08/2005 12:04

particularly when the stats show that the home is more dangerous than anywhere else!!

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melissasmummy · 11/08/2005 12:46

We should beabel to wear what we like, when we like. Go out when we feel like it, stay in when we feel like it. It's too sad a fact that we can't.

We are being made to feel it's our fault if we are raped anywhere...if we are at home, we sholdn't have let him in, if we are on the streets, we shouldn't be out alone late etc!

When will the powers that be realise that it is the justice system that is at fault? If there were stiffer sentences & consequences for the men that do this, this sort of crime would decrease. Didn't they used to cut the hands off thieves centuries ago?

We are only able to protect ourselves so much! I won't even pop over the road for a pint of milk at 10pm at night for fear of what might happen & I can see the shop from my window!

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HappyHuggy · 11/08/2005 12:47

((((((((my2pworth))))))))))

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Raspberry · 11/08/2005 12:59

What I don't understand is this:

London bombs & failed bombs - advice:
Carry on as normal, don't let the bas*ds win in effect..
Rapist at large - advice:
Cower in your homes ladies

Surely, the advice should be the same should it? Double standards I say.

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ediemay · 11/08/2005 13:05

Great thread, mytwopenceworth. Totally agree with you and love the idea of a male curfew. If this attitude persists AND we get the lengthened licensing laws, the streets will be a no-go zone for some women, trapped at home by fear.

Perhaps we should resurrect the "Reclaim the Streets" marches. I'm old enough to have been on one!

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monkeytrousers · 11/08/2005 13:29

I don't know about walking down the street at 2 in the morning with a belt for a skirt. We take responsibility for ourselves at some point and that's not an excuse for any man that decides to attack a woman because of what she's wearing. But you'd be more likely to be approached dressed like that and at that time by people thinking you were a working girl. We have to live in the real world. The men who do this are criminals. They hate women. There will always be men like this and we can't ignore it on point of principle.

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triceratops · 11/08/2005 13:37

I wish that women were legally allowed to carry pepper sprays. Men are allowed to wander around being larger, stronger and more agressive on average. It would only even up the odds a bit.

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hercules · 11/08/2005 13:40

I dont understand some of the comments here. Women are being not forced to stay in after a certain time. Seems sensible enought to me if there is a rapist in the area. They cant enforce all men staying in so the next best thing is to advise women to take care.

If they didnt send out this advise and a woman was raped as not aware that would be neglet on their part.

If you choose to cower in your house that's your choice. No one is telling you to.

My sister was one of the male police men who had to advise women to take care around the time of the m25 rapes......

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Caligula · 11/08/2005 13:42

But why aren't they advising people to stop using the tube then?

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hercules · 11/08/2005 13:43

The idea of a male curfew is awful too. Why punish 99.99% of men?

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QueenOfQuotes · 11/08/2005 13:46

No-one is saying imprison women in their homes.

The advice is not to go out ALONE at night.

And FWIW I know a lot of men/boys who don't go out at night alone, while most may not get raped (although male rape does happen) single men are just as likely to be mugged/attacked by groups as women are to be raped.

I don't see how putting a curfew on men would help either..............why should the large majority of men who are not going to harm a women (or man for that matter) be punished because of a few?

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hercules · 11/08/2005 13:49

When I was at uni in central london 10 years ago the police went round our college advising the blokes to be careful as there were several incidences of male rape on the tube at that time.

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