research suggest that juries blame women who drink for their own misfortunes...

[GlennCloseAsCruellaDeVille]

......is there a way round this?

Is the mn view very differ4nt to the general public then? The conviction rate for cases of rape is so low that coupled with the fact that most women don't even report it, the chance of a man getting away with remains dperessingly high.

here

Those last two paragraphs were meant to describe two separate incidents by the way not the same one.

I don't blame women who drink for their own misfortunes, I blame everyone! as long as the misfortune is based in not controlling well how much you are drinking.

I think you have a responsability to take care of yourself and by drinking too much you are putting yourself (and others) in danger as you can't take care of yourself/avoid dangers as efectively as you would if you were not drunk.

Having said that, and before every one think that I'm a machist, in my ideal world, all the men outside would be perfect sober gentlemen but unfortunately there are a lot of men outside who drink badly enough not to realise the woman is actually saying "no" (and yes, I know, some of them are not even drunk but cold rapists). Therefore we owe a responsability to ourselves to try to stay a bit alert just in case one of those men is around. (and also to others as some women, like -some_ men, become very aggressive when drunk)

So, no, it's not women's fault but drinking too much can definitively make it easier for the rapist

sorry if i upset anyone, i meant that years ago rape tended to happen from strangers not all of them though

but our culture has changed now, and it can even happen between 2 people that have been together 10 years, that is all that i meant that times and culture's have changed and the way in which people unfortunately get raped has changed.years ago police wouldn't have pressed a case that was reported between married people but they will now,
there is no easy answer to any of this

The law has changed in that rape is now legally possible between a man and his wife rather than the man having some sort of droit de seigneur. However the fact remains that you would never in a million years get a successful prosecution between co-habiting h and w unless there was some other evidence of violence. It is good the law was changed however as it is a public statement that rape is never acceptable.

Obviously the scenarios GlenC writes about constitute rape. However again, you will rarely get a conviction if you go willingly with a man to a room and then change your mind (in the absence of evidence of physical violence). This is because it is going to come down to one person's word against another and the jury would be reduced to trying to guess who was telling the truth by looking at the protagnanists. Not many reasonable people would feel safe convicting in that situation unless they had psychic powers or were prejudiced against men or women due to past experience.

Snow...I dont mean to keep 'picking nits' but things havent changed at all, except, as caroline3 said - the law has changed.

It has been common throughout history that husbands/partners deem it acceptable to force sex with their partner/wife simply because of the fact that they are the husband/partner. This is nothing new. It is still and always has been rape.

yes but it wouldnt have been reported as much, as women wouldnt have thought they would have been taken seriously by police saying that my husband or wife has raped me, but now it is known you can be attacked by anyone partner or not,

what would i know anyway i am 25 so havent been around long enoutgh to see the change, i'll post again when i am 50 and report the change then,

i disagree it is definetely more than just the law that has changed

I won't be telling my boys not to rape women. Any more than I would be telling them not to rob houses or mug old people. It doesn't need saying. I hope that they will learn by example that you must treat people in the way that you would wish to be treated - ie with consideration and empathy. I will teach them to have very little to do with ANYONE who gets so pissed they have no control over what they are doing - be they male of female. Self-respect and self-control are essential adult skills in my book.

BTW I am catergorically NOT teetotal.

But Noelallie, all rapists' mothers think their sons will have learned all the right values from them.

And yet so many women get raped. The message obviously isn't getting through, so perhaps it does need to be talked about.

Many boys turn out to be paedophiles, burglars, car theives etc etc. All we can do is our best.