Rape remains deeply rooted in our society

Wearing extremely short dresses  can also attract rape

Though modern society is progressively intensifying security on women, rape is still a common problem and sexual assault is common place. Anyone can be the target of sexual assault, regardless of age, gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, sexual history, or social class.

There is no stereotypical victim or rapist. It is also true that nearly 85% of all victims of sexual assault knew the person who raped or assaulted them. Often a situation starts off innocent and fun, but can then very quickly escalate out of control. This calls for the need to be vigilant.

There is a simple and surprisingly durable myth about what causes men to rape women. It goes like this: if a man is too horny, from sexual deprivation or from being constitutionally oversexed, he will lose control in the presence of an unguarded woman.

Society widely believed in this and this naive model of sexual assault went unquestioned by researchers for some time. More recent research studies have added that all male sexuality is violent and predatory, and therefore there is no reason to doubt that rape is a normal manifestation of masculine desire.

But on many occasions women too have been blamed for inviting rape. It is necessary always to conform. Don’t embrace the power and pleasures of your own desires. Don’t dress to impress – yourself. Don’t find yourself gorgeous and alive and wanting to share that.

Don’t wear flirty skirts or revealing dresses. On the other hand do not be tomboyish. Avoid any expression that does not conform to gender norms as some people may use rape as a way to “discipline” you

People who intend to avoid being raped always trust their instincts. You need to avoid all environments where you feel unsafe and where sexual assaults commonly take place: walls, doorways, pillars, streets, sidewalks, corridors, elevators, lobbies, parking lots, cars, public transit, cabs, parks, bars, restaurants, apartments, houses, offices, universities, colleges, nursing homes and government institutions.

There is urgent need to bring rape to a mere myth but this is not possible without legislations and enforcement of law. Apparently, even in the midst of war, men are capable of refraining from sexual assault if they know there will be consequences.

As we set out to deal with perpetrators a good question to start with is: who are the men who attack women? It is convenient to assume that the culprits are violent, sociopathic, sexual deviants, and some definitely are. However, most men who violate women’s spaces, rights and bodies sexually would not meet clinical diagnostic criteria as either sociopaths or sexual deviants.

Surprisingly most violence against women is committed by normative people around campus, at work, or at home and by people who appear responsible in society. This raises the possibility that the violence they perpetrate appears, in context, normative to them. This makes rape a deeply rooted crime.

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