14 year old girl raped in broad daylight

My outrage and shock is that a man would be audacious enough to attack a woman somewhere there was a high chance of him being seen and caught in the act.
That's very different to attacking someone in your family, in your house where you can control interruptions.
Also if women aren't safe in public parks in the middle of the day they aren't safe anywhere ever. Of course I knew that But this kind of story hammers it home .

By saying that I don't mean women can avoid rapists by only going out at certain times in certain locations at all.

ifyousee I disagree.

My outrage and shock is not to do with countering the inevitable victim blaming.

My outrage and shock is related to the fact that no one intervened, that literally no space is safe not even a public space in the middle of the day.

Of course rape at any age, any circumstance is horrific, NoLove isn't disputing that, but .....

when we exclaim, outraged, that "but oh my god she is only 14 years old and it was broad daylight!" what we are doing is very understandably arguing according to the logic of the patriarchy and anticipating the victim-blaming that we know will inevitably follow.

We're saying that there is no way that rapist could have mistakenly thought she was a fully grown woman leading him on or what was she thinking, walking alone at night? There is no way the rapist could have thought he was doing anything other than wrong. No excuses, no ifs or buts.

We are arguing according to the logic of our oppressor and it's a totally natural thing to do.

Elendon of course it was horrendous and I'm sorry that you want through that.

Absolutely no one on this thread has suggested a hierarchy of seriousness.

Elendon

I mean this in a nice way, but perhaps this thread is a bit too close to home for you?

elendon wtf? Did you actually read the OP? Also nolove has been posting here for ages. You are being out of order.
I think it's a horrific event and if we can't talk about it on a feminist board, where can we talk about it? In no way was nolove suggesting it was worse. She said Not that any rape in any circumstance isn't horrendous....That this kind of thing goes on and receives so little coverage is abhorrent
Do you agree with that point? I do.

Oh forgot to add.

My father was a head teacher of a primary school (mixed).

Pillar of the community!

My 12/13 year old self will never be erased.

But all sexual assault is horrendous. This isn't the Olympics when it comes to sexual assault.

And 14 year old teenage females are particularly ripe for assault. It doesn't surprise me in the least.

I was attacked as a 12 year old. By my father. Actually, sexually assaulted, he physically attacked me when I was 13. It was, ironically, my female PE teacher (I went to an all girls school) who discovered the bruises. I begged her not to say anything.

Was that not horrendous?

elendon you're being unfair.

There is something particularly shocking about a daylight rape of a 14 year old. Not because it's worse, or more tragic but because one assumes that at 14 she'd likely have appeared, to anyone around, as more vulnerable than an adult woman so it being ignored would be particularly shocking.

Elendon - I'm sorry to hear that you were attacked. Please don't put people off taking self defense.
Self defense lessons dont turn you into an invincible superhero. They wont make you bigger or stronger than your attacker. But they at least make you feel less helpless. If thats all they do they are worth it.
Its like learning to swim. Hopefully you'll never need it, it wont always save your life, but its better than not taking it.

Fair enough. New to feminism? I'm not biting heads, simply pointing out the reality. It's harsh for all females.

I'm sorry if I come across as being strident.

Can I ask a couple of questions?

If women and young women and girls haven't learnt how to defend themselves does this make it less horrific?

Are they in some way to blame for their lack of compliance?

What use is self defence lessons against someone who is at least six stone heavier and five inches taller than you?

Elendon, NoLove isn't a new poster AFAIK and I think she's actually still at school.

I do agree that rape is rape.

I am a mother to boys and I feel a huge sense of responsibility to not raise them to be entitled pricks.

A bit OT, Pacific, but I feel that responsibility too. It overwhelmed me to start with. Until one day I told DH, who said, 'but that's my job. You don't have to take responsibility for it'. It hadn't crossed my mind that we should expect men to combat male entitlement.

And I can't bear the 'I'm new here, please be gentle with me' approach.

It's inappropriate in a thread like this.

I'm not baby stepping a grown adult.

I know that 'attacks' on young women are horrendous, horrific etc, but this is rape by men on young women.

I appreciate you bringing this to the fore, again. But it's not like I didn't hear it on the news/radio or read about it. It's what happens to a lot of young women and females.

There is an estimated 85,000 rapes each year. That is probably the tip of the iceberg. None of those should be singled out. All are horrendous.

Yy to more education at home and at school.

I am a mother to boys and I feel a huge sense of responsibility to not raise them to be entitled pricks.

Harrowing care

I didnt enjoy doing self defense but it saved my life. If we carry on doing what we do now, then nothing changes. Teaching self defense is not victim blaming.

I find your tone upsetting. You focus entirely on young girls being attacked. This is your second post.

I was sexually abused by my father at 12. In broad daylight, in the sanctity of my own home. I understand. However, all rape is rape. No matter what age the female. No matter what circumstances they were in. Broad daylight, at night - at the age of 14 I did have to walk home at night after drama practice. Perhaps I should have not bothered with doing something I loved doing? For my safety?

Don't talk to me about tone. I know very well the tone that an abuser uses.

My daughter's hated PE. What are they supposed to do if they dislike PE? Sit at home. Never go out?

Men are the problem. All of them. I say all of them, because they refuse outright to acknowledge the situation regarding the freedom of human females to be free to do what they want.