Rape… against the law, but it still happens

“Two 12-year-old boys have been charged over the alleged assault and rape of a six-year-old girl at a primary school on Sydney's northern beaches.” 1 September 2016

These boys have been released on bail, but because they are children their jail won’t make a difference to what they did.

“The comments said: ‘I. Hope. Somebody. Rapes. You. Today. :).’” 7 September 2016

Olivia Nuzzi, Washington reporter for The Daily Beast, had claimed that the Republican Krawitz had harassed her since 2015, and his latest comments happened very recently. No court case, but Olivia should be proud with how women take what she did to heart – publicise him.

“‘Coked-up’ British stockbroker Daniel Green testified in court that he had trouble having sex with a woman because of the size of his penis during a cocaine and champagne-fuelled office party.” 9 September 2016

The woman he raped had gotten drunk and was asleep under her desk when he crawled on top of her. In court, he tried to say that he had difficulty because of the size of his penis. He seemed to have ignored the victim saying “no”!

“The publishing group Pearson has come under fire in South Africa after one of its school textbooks suggested a rape victim was at fault for the crime.” 9 September 2016

Activity 9, the ‘Give Advice’ section in this book said “List two ways which Angie’s behaviour led to sexual intercourse.” This ‘education’ hasn’t changed the rape, it increased the rates. South Africa has the highest rape in the world. Ben Pearson, the director of policy at ActionAid International, said in his Twitter post that schoolchildren had to blame the female in order to pass the test.

“A doctor and a hospital attendant have been arrested for the alleged rape of a woman who was being treated at a top hospital in western India, a police officer said Friday.” 10 September 2016

In a ‘top hospital’ security appears to support the patients, but this is not the first time that patients in Indian hospitals have said they were raped. Last year 34,000 rapes were reported, but many more were not reported.

 “A Canadian federal judge is facing possible removal for asking the accuser in a 2014 rape trial: ‘Why couldn’t you just keep your knees together?’” 10 September 2016

Camp had already acquitted the man accused of rape after he had decided the testimony was more credible. He even said to the woman “Why couldn’t you just keep your knees together?” What the hell was he thinking??

“…the victim was sitting in the bus with other students when the accused sneaked up to her and touched her breasts. He then put his hand under her skirt and penetrated her 'digitally' using his fingers.” 10 September 2016

This man was released with a suspended sentence. Why on earth would court do that? Why wouldn’t court listen to the girl who had been assaulted?

Thank goodness that the UK city trader was jailed: “A City trader has been jailed for six years for raping a woman as she attempted to sleep under her desk after an office party.” How many other court cases will go ahead with a rape victim? How many courts will find the real accused guilty? WHY ISN’T THIS HAPPENING??

How can we educate boys and men against rape? We have many DV organisations – not government-supported – which tell us how. We have the NASAV (National Association of Services Against Sexual Violence) which tell us how. 

The pdf file (available online) from Dr Patricia Weiser Easteal, Senior Criminologist Australian Institute of Criminology, says: “Rape is not a sexual act. Rape is an act of violence which uses sex as a weapon.” Do we all agree with this? We should! Rape is an act of violence… EVERY man MUST know this!

This paper lists too many “myths” which men – and women - still believe in”

Myth: Rape requires physical force

Myth: Rape requires physical resistance by the victim

Myth: Rape requires a weapon

Myth: Rape is a sexual act

Myth: Since rape is primarily a sexual act, the victim in some way may precipitate the offence through arousing the male in some provocative manner

Myth: Since rape is provoked by a female, it is commonly a spontaneous act

Myth: Aboriginal women (or Afro-American women in the USA) are more highly sexed than 'white' women and, therefore, are always willing to have sex; thus they precipitate rape by their sexual behaviour

Stupid. Real. Myths. Read this to find out why!

In 1993 Walker wrote that women would not report a rape by a person she knew because she was afraid by what police would think. This happened far too many years in the past – I certainly thought that in 1973 when I was raped by five “friends”. Why should I have reported it to police? Why did I stay there? Why did I say it was rape when I didn’t even leave? Yadda yadda yadda… Yes, it was definitely rape. If I had reported the rape, and if it had been treated legitimately, I should have had justice from that event. Unfortunately, too many women who do take their rape to court don’t have justice even today. Too many police or court judges just don’t believe women. Even today.

Camp, a federal judge in Canada, is – hopefully – being treated the way he should be now. He should be fired. He should be held responsible for his stupidity, the acquittal of the man who actually did rape.

NO police person, NO judge, should disbelieve women who complain about rape. Every rape case should be listened to. Every woman who complains should be believed before the trial. Every man who raped should not be allowed to say that his future life is in trouble from his ‘20 minutes’.

Trouble is, I don’t believe that will happen.

At least, not this decade.

Rape Culture

Blessington. When he was 14, this man raped and killed Janine Balding. He was locked up in the jail for his entire life. And he is asking for “clemency”. Why isn’t that good?

For me, how it ends up is good. He should never be set free. He can just rot away in this jail for what he did to Janine Balding, and the grief he caused to her family. When I read the history I cried. I thought about my own rape, the rape of Jyoti in India, the rape of so many women. “Clemency”? He should never receive “clemency”!

Rape happens… every… single… day.

Too many women are murdered.

Too many women are “blamed”.

Too many women become mentally ill when they try to live with their memories.

Too many women have to live with it.

Women don’t report it because they don’t trust courts to believe them. Why not? Because men can just say that they “loved her”. Or they didn’t “touch her”. Or they were “taught to be nice to her”.

I read an extremely wrong article by “Dr” Tara J. Palmatier who supported “A Voice for Men” to turn against “Rape Culture”. Palmatier knows nothing about women who were raped by men. Who were very hurt by the insertion of … a metal stick (Jyoti) or a bayonet (me) during rape. Who was killed because the men (boys) thought that would finish whatever for them! FFS, get real “Dr” Palmatier!!!

 

Any man jailed for rape might adhere to rape by men. Why are they being raped? Because the men who conduct this crime think they have the crime which the men already committed. Why isn’t that in court? Because the men who claim they have been raped already raped a woman!!!

This Time article on 20 March 2014 says that “rape culture” doesn’t exist. I wonder if the woman who wrote this understands what has happened in the last 40 years? Valenti said “Rape-culture theory is doing little to help victims, but its power to poison the minds of young women and lead to hostile environments for innocent males is immense.” Oh how much I really wish that 40 years ago I could have reported my rape to police and expected the disgusting men to end up in jail! Nowadays? YES, I could expect that! That is not a culture, it’s a law, and must be kept alive!

 

Ending “rape culture” will not end rape. Ending “rape culture” will not assist women who are raped. Ending “rape culture” will not, ever, lock a man into jail for the rest of his life because the anti-rape-culture society think he did something small wrong and has paid for it and needs to start a new life!

What about women who are raped? Will they ever start a “new life”? They can, only if rape is seen to be a backwards “culture”. They can, only if they can expect the law to back them. They can, only if the disgusting rapists are locked away, hopefully for the rest of their lives! That is a law, and must be kept alive!

Ask any woman who was raped!

Survey - Violence Against Women in Australia

In 2012 the Bureau of Statistics (ABS) conducted a Personal Safety Survey for sexual violence which happened far too often to women. The long (148) report was done by ANROWS in October last year, and looked at "substantial new findings and several hundred new statistical items related to physical assault, sexual violence, intimate partner violence, and multiple victimisation.". 

There is a pdf file which you can download from ANROWS which can be very helpful to you. It looks at the experience of violence, most recent experience of violence, selected types of violence, sexual assault, partner violence, emotional abuse and much more.

The Australian Institute of Criminology looks at the trend of sexual assault, but it only reached 2007 in its data. However, by 2007 there had been an increase of 400 per month since 1995, and that's bad (scary?) information. 

Every person, female or male, should be educated into what causes sexual violence. Every woman should know that they have rights. Every man should know that a "normal life" is never violence / sexual assault / rape / victimisation. 

Women deserve a normal life. It's our life.

Call her Jyoti Singh

In December 2012 I wrote my website www.itsokaytobeangry.com. It was posted in memory of Jyoti Singh, who had been raped by 5 men in a bus, and days later died from extremely violent and shockingly internal physical force. Jyoti Singh was 23 years old. She did not ask to be attacked, did not ask to be raped, did not ask to be thrust inside her with a metal bar. She did not ask to die.

The four oldest offenders were convicted and sentence to death. They still haven't been hanged. The youngest offender, 17 years old 3 years ago, was kept in a youth centre. He has now been let out.

Why???

Why did the juvenile join up with older men? Why did he get involved in the rape of Jyoti Singh? Why was he convicted as a "juvenile" rather than as the same as the four other men when he was involved with them? Why was he let out???

India has had so many messages from women and families that women should be safe, that rape is wrong, that families should feel with their victim.

The Atlantic's article on 16 November this year, 2015, entitled "The Brutal Rape That Galvanized India", noted the student protest about this which happened the day immediate after. The India government banned the protests, and have now banned the movie India's Daughter made by the director, Leslee Udwin.

On 17 December 2015 Jyoti Singh's mother was reported in the Zeedee news from India as saying "My daughter's name was Jyoti Singh and I'm not ashamed!" Well said by Asha Devi, Jyoti's mother. This should be the way everyone thinks of this! 

NO WOMAN should ever think she will be raped.
NO WOMAN should ever let her daughter 'regret' her rape.
NO WOMAN will ever let rapists just "get away" with it.

So should every person who ever knows what has happened.

Rape has been around for every time. In the last few years the rapists have been round up and put away. They should. They should have been rounded up and put away for the rest of their miserable lives a century back. They should have been round up and put away when I was raped 40 years ago. I should have known that legal proceed could have happened. Why didn't it?

The four men who raped Jyoti and were sentenced to death should have been hung three years ago, straight after their court hearing. Why are they still alive? The youth 'boy' who also raped Jyoti should have been sentenced exactly the same as the older men. Why is he now FREE???

Rape is never acceptable.
Rape is women victims.
Rape is WRONG.

Every government with any legislation protecting women from rape of any kind should re-look at their policies to ensure that victims can and will take rapists to court and can then live without fear.

When will this happen???

#ItStopsWithMe

This morning I felt pretty pissed off. I had read an article, posted by a friend, on how men have their own websites which advertise a “Philosophy of Rape”. Yes, advertise rape. According to these men, rape is “corrective”. They started with a comment “Rape did serve important, healthy, and natural biological purposes historically in limiting the extent to which female bad behavior can go.”

WHAT??? Is this something that MEN will believe??? Oh yes, I am pretty pissed off. Absolutely pissed off!

Female behaviour is not bad! Rape by men IS.

Females are not sluts. Rape by men does NOT “correct the slut problem”.

Females are not “harlots and feminazis”. Rape by men will NEVER “correct” women.

Females never “want to be raped”. Men, ONLY men, will ever think this crap!

Rape, how they think of it, is a myth which is held onto by men who believe, absolutely incorrectly, that they can use this to “fix society”. Read this: http://www.secasa.com.au/sections/crisis-centre/common-beliefs-about-rape/ and this: http://www.rapecrisis.org.uk/commonmyths2.php and this: http://www.d.umn.edu/cla/faculty/jhamlin/3925/myths.html and this: http://www.wavaw.ca/mythbusting/rape-myths/ 

And keep reading!! There are so many websites which break the myths, which should be followed not just by women but also by men. No man who reads this would ever disbelieve, would never join the idiotic “battle” by men against women, would rape any women because they are told that it’s okay!

Because IT IS NOT!

This year it is not - http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/melbourne-pair-jailed-for-multiple-rapes-of-fourteenyearold-girl-20150525-gh8vh6.html. Forty years ago it was not – www.itsokaytobeangry.com. One hundred years ago it was not - http://aussiecriminals.com.au/100-years-of-crime-in-australia/.

It has NEVER been okay!

But is it ever considered okay? So many women simply don’t report their rape. According to the Australian Government Institute of Family Studies http://www3.aifs.gov.au/acssa/statistics.html  International Violence Against Women Survey in 2004,

“Only 1 in 7 women (14%) who experienced violence from an intimate partner, and just over 1 in 6 women who experienced violence from someone else (non-partner), indicated that they had reported the most recent incident to police (16%)”

but

“almost half of the women indicated that their reason for not reporting was because they preferred to deal with it themselves, preferred to keep the matter private, or out of shame or embarrassment.”

Shame or embarrassment? Were these women convinced by men that their rape was “okay”?

It was 40 years ago since I was raped. I did not ever report this to the police, not because I preferred to deal with it myself, or because I preferred to keep it private. Yes, it was out of shame, because, way back then, I realised that it was not my fault, never my fault, but I could not report this to police if they didn’t believe me. Nowadays I don’t accept that police will turn away a rape. I have seen the law changed, seen the police support change, seen the feminist and women support change. So many individuals and organisations now will support and help a victim who had been raped.

And yet “Philosophy of Rape” tells men on their website that they “will teach you how to make 100% sure that you don’t get caught.”

Personally?  I believe that these men are absolute idiots who keep their infantile penises hidden inside their pants. They don’t have or won’t have a wonderful woman who would be with them instead of under them. They don’t accept love, they don’t accept awesome women, and they don’t accept an excellent future.

Men, if you are reading this – DON’T RAPE. There is nothing more to say to intelligent men. Those who are so stupid that this won’t go into their heads… well, leave women alone. They are much, much more intelligent that you will ever be.

Go onto Twitter and post this:

Rape will never happen in my life. #ItStopsWithMe

  

And live in a normal, non-rape life.