Why is rape a feminist issue and not a humanist one?

[FlamingoBingo]

As is being argued on a FB thread I'm in at the moment?

I've said it's because it's nearly always about men using their physical power to oppress/control women...but two people are disagreeing with me (but not actually saying why ).

[FlamingoBingo]

TY!

[Snorbs]

Can it not be both? Yes it's a feminist issue inasmuch as it's nearly always men raping women. Anything that is so obviously gendered and so clearly has women at a massive disadvantage is a feminist issue.

But I'd say it's a humanist issue as well because how on earth can people treat people that badly? WTF has got so badly broken in their heads to make them think that raping another human being is acceptable behaviour? And how can they be fixed?

[Snorbs]

Good point, well made.

[SardineQueen]

I am bit baffled that anyone could argue that rape isn't a humanitarian issue TBH.

[SardineQueen]

This is what wiki defines humanitarianism:

"n its most general form, humanitarianism is an ethic of kindness, benevolence and sympathy extended universally and impartially to all human beings. Humanitarianism has been an evolving concept historically but universality is a common element in its evolution. No distinction is to be made in the face of human suffering or abuse on grounds of gender, sexual orientation, tribal, caste, religious or national divisions.
Humanitarianism can also be described as the acceptance of every human being for plainly just being another human. Ignoring and abolishing biased social views, prejudice, and racism in the process, if utilized individually as a practiced viewpoint, and or mindset."

[SardineQueen]

You could also point out that feminism isn't a movement that has much clout, and isn't taken very seriously.

Rape is a very serious crime and so to say it's entirely up to feminists to sort it out is basically saying that they don't think it's very important.

[witchwithallthetrimmings]

It is a humanatarian issue of course but it is also a feminist issue because the question of rape concerns the right of women to control their own bodies.

[SardineQueen]

Ask them if they think that the victims of mass rapes in Darfur should be eligible for humanitarian aid.

[HerBeX]

Because most people who say they're humanists as opposed to feminists, don't give a shit about rape.

They think they do, but on the whole their idea of rape is the stranger in dark alley one and they are utterly, blissfully unaware of the rape culture that underlies most rape.

Have they started going on about false allegations yet?

[SardineQueen]

I read the OP as saying that people were arguing that rape was not a humanitarian (humanist!) issue, just a feminist one.

Maybe FB will clarify later!

[MillyR]

Rape of men and women is a humanitarian issue. The rape of women is both a humanitarian issue and a feminist issue.

[FlamingoBingo]

People are saying that rape is not a feminist issue but a 'humanist' [sic] issue - I'm trying to argue that it is a feminist issue.

[SardineQueen]

Aha thanks for clarification FB.

How can rape not be a feminist issue? I suppose that's what you were asking us in the first place!

What is their argument for saying it's not? That men get raped too?

Surely the numbers expose this as a gendered crime.

Look at all of those horrible circular emails about "how not to get raped" they are always aimed at women not men. If you see sexual assault with harassment at one end and rape at the other then it's women who get it day in day out. Men aren't generally scared when they go out of sexual assault/rape. Watch any detective type show from UK or US and the rape victim will 99% of the time be a woman. Sometimes a child, rarely a man.

What is their argument?

[HerBeX]

Also if a man reports a rape to the police, he will be taken seriously and believed, unless he is gay. (Becuase homophobia is as prevalent in the police and court system as sexism.)

Does anyone know the percentage of male rape victims who get convictions versus that of female rape victims?

[HerBeX]

Have looked for the FB thread FB, but can't find it

[SardineQueen]

I don't know the percentage HB although I did look a while back.

My suspicion is that heterosexual men who are raped are really unlikely to report it

I mean if women won't report and there is a lot of support out there and women know it's something that might happen IYSWIM, it must be near impossible for a heterosexual man - there is the additional "shame" of it being "gay" which although is obviously wrong, in our society is a big deal. I can't imagine that your average pint drinking football supporting bloke would ever tell anyone ever. Just a feeling I could be wrong. No idea whether gay men are more likely to report being raped or not, I don't have a feeling for that at all.

I suspect there isn't much data about men being raped generally, I did look.

[SardineQueen]

Another way in which the patriarchy is shit for just about everyone.

[HerBeX]

I do remember a report about a decade back about a spate of rapes being carried out on gay men by heterosexual men - some kind of bizzarre homophobic punishment for being gay.

The police didn't take it seriously because the attitude was "you're gay, you like it like that, what areyou complaining about?"

[aliceliddell]

it's not seen as a human/ist/itarian issue because women aren't seen as human beings by rapists; that's why they rape us.