Feminism: chat
Vulnerable woman
Thighdentitycrisis · 22/10/2021 16:13
When this term is used to refer to a woman who was attacked walking home, what does this mean to you ?
I’m curious what others think; for me it makes me angry, and I object to being described as vulnerable. Innocent victim yes,
It’s my first time on this board so please be understanding
Whatwouldscullydo · 22/10/2021 16:18
If its just in the context of walking home then I agree. I mean that suggests the mere every day act if walking home left her vulnerable. Accepting the threat of male violence.
I suppose even in the context if being vulnerable as in a woman particularly unable to assess a situation or easily manipulated, sone learning difficulties or whatever that readers her vulnerable in an expletive sense, well that disbt have an impact on being attacked if she too just walked home.
To me I agree it shifts the blame..it says that others should have been looking out fir her or she should have known limits ir made different choices.
The problem is of course not her !
DDUW · 22/10/2021 16:22
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Heruka · 22/10/2021 16:22
I dunno, I understand your feelings and they make sense, but for me I do feel vulnerable to men, in various ways. So the description feels ok for me. A bit like some people hate being told ‘you look tired’. I appreciate it because I always am, and find it validating! Maybe a crap example but trying to articulate that being vulnerable in a physical way for me is part of being a woman in the world (as it is, anyway).
Thighdentitycrisis · 22/10/2021 17:41
@DDUW
Now I think about it “innocent victim” isn’t great either although there needs to be some way of differentiating between how involved a victim is in the context of the crime.
Thanks @Whatwouldscullydo because I was second guessing myself.
If her only vulnerability is being a woman in that context then she is only vulnerable to a man exploiting and abusing their male strength over hers.
If she was a woman who had experienced abusive as a child, been in care, a victim of trafficking etc or had other external experiences besides being born female, I would feel she might be vulnerable to other abuse or exploitation as her resilience would be impacted negatively
Cuck00soup · 22/10/2021 17:43
It's newspaper hyperbole, but a man walking home would not routinely be described as vulnerable. It's language that perpetuates the misogyny.
Nor should there be a need to qualify the victim as innocent. What it usually means is a man attacked a woman because he (delete as applicable)
*wanted to
*was in a bad mood
*was seeking sexual gratification
*someone had said no to him
*reasons
NiceGerbil · 23/10/2021 04:41
Have you got examples?
I haven't seen this I don't think except when the victim had eg learning difficulties, had been in care, the girls in Rotherham (eventually) etc.
Same as men really.
Some men are violent and women and men can be victims albeit nature of crime often different.
Anyone can be vulnerable eg vv drunk.
Men who are attacked are just called men unless v old, disabled etc. And usually women it's the same. 28yo woman sexually assaulted in park etc.
KimikosNightmare · 23/10/2021 04:50
@NiceGerbil
I haven't seen this I don't think except when the victim had eg learning difficulties, had been in care, the girls in Rotherham (eventually) etc.
Same as men really.
Some men are violent and women and men can be victims albeit nature of crime often different.
Anyone can be vulnerable eg vv drunk.
Men who are attacked are just called men unless v old, disabled etc. And usually women it's the same. 28yo woman sexually assaulted in park etc.
Yes, agreed. I don't think I've ever seen "vulnerable" being used routinely just because the victim was female.
RhymesWithOrange · 23/10/2021 05:47
The latest safeguarding training emphasises context over the individual. So they would say a woman in circumstances or a situation that made her vulnerable, not a vulnerable woman. This obviously is a bit wordy for newspaper reports.
But you are right. The same individual can go from no risk to high risk depending on the circumstances, it's not all about the specific person.
The context will be different depending on the person. Women face different risks out alone at night than men.
Funnylittlefloozie · 24/10/2021 18:53
I write risk assessments for offenders. I am required to assess if the victim of the relevant offence was "vulnerable " in any way. This doesn't mean, were they a cowering mousy little thing, or had learning difficulties? It means, what made them particularly vulnerable to becoming that offender's victim, at that time? You can be vulnerable by being at home in your own bed, because you have no expectation of being attacked there.
YetAnotherSpartacus · 25/10/2021 11:22
I write risk assessments for offenders. I am required to assess if the victim of the relevant offence was "vulnerable " in any way. This doesn't mean, were they a cowering mousy little thing, or had learning difficulties? It means, what made them particularly vulnerable to becoming that offender's victim, at that time? You can be vulnerable by being at home in your own bed, because you have no expectation of being attacked there
The term does tend to suggest that it is 'something about the victim' that is at issue though (even if beyond their control or not a vulnerability as such) as opposed to making it clear that what happened to them wasn't about them but their attacker.
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