Police mission to bust myths surrounding rape

Thursday 20 March 2014

Only loud or flirtatious girls in tight clothes or wearing short skirts get raped – that’s the first myth the Police want to rubbish as they start a monthly campaign to give Islanders a better understanding of rape.

Over the past year officers have been working in the community and in schools discussing the subject of consent as part of their long term “Ask. Listen. Respect” campaign. But they say not everyone’s got the message.

Chief Inspector Alison Fossey said:  “Our message has been clear, sex without consent is rape. But despite all this work there are still some age-old taboos still in people’s minds and throughout the course of the year we will be continuing the work to challenge them and get people talking about a subject which, in the past, has been difficult.

The Police will be using their website and social media to try to banish different myths each month.

The first centres on the myth that “only loud or flirtatious girls in tight clothes or wearing short skirts get raped” - they say that in actual fact rapists choose women based on their vulnerability and not their clothes.

The Police message is that people who are assaulted can be of any age, sex, or religion and come from any culture or background and be straight, gay or bisexual. They say that rape is never the victim’s fault.

Chief Inspector Fossey said: “This can only serve to help the victims who find themselves in a situation where they do not know where to turn or what to do. By discussing it as a community we can help those people to know that this is not their fault.”