The Real Issue is Attitudes Towards Women and Rape

Boris Johnson has been accused of breaking an election pledge to spend more than million pounds on rape crisis centers.  Labour London Assembly Member, Val Shawcross, accused him of letting down victims.  She argued, “It doesn’t come close.  He said he would provide over 2 million pound and until he does it looks like he is betraying those to whom he made promises.”  According to TheLondonPaper, last month a group of activists ambushed Johnson and demanded to know why he had not acted on his promises.  Apparently the stunt was recorded on youtube.

It does not really amaze me that such a promise has not been kept.  Perhaps he will fulfill it eventually, but the problem is the priorities in our society.  Rape is just not one of those priorities.  I mean the tax we pay goes towards what exactly?  The future Olympic games, and to criminals and others who are not able, or just do not want to find work, to our healthcare system, that seems neither to improve health or cares (well it does not seem to) and I guess the government.  It is interesting that singers and drugs addicts and others who do not have standard lines of work seem to be doing alright and yet these charities are struggling.

It would actually do more good preventing rapes and changing attitudes, rather than erecting great big buildings and spending millions of pounds on centers for people after they have suffered the ordeal, and for many women, such centers are a trauma in itself.  Women can be put off relationships and men totally, have destroyed trust in others and develop depression, anxiety, post traumatic stress disorder and potentially are not able to work – at least for some time.  The problem is that society – most societies – frequently blames women for rape.  The perception seems to be that what they were wearing or doing, or saying must have been so provocative that the poor man was forced to jump on them, and that it is understandable because of what they were doing.  The fact is that whatever a woman may have done – right or wrong – rape is still rape, and is wrong.  Blaming rape victims prevents them coming forward in courts, because they are aware that they could be potentially blamed for being a victim of crime and perhaps be told that they asked for it.