Dear Editor,

I refer to the letter captioned ‘The problem is the standard by which we measure ourselves’ (SN  2.7.08). I too like Ms Thompson disagree whole-heartedly with the comments made by Navindo Tinsarran in relation to “dressing” and rape.  I guess he is guilty of judging others by his own standards and I guess they fall woefully short.

The comment about revealing clothing being one contributory factor to rape is bogus.  But then if one sees women as chattels and personal property and men by comparison, wild animals not in control of their urges and desires, then I guess “dressing” would be considered to be a contributory factor. The reality is that rape is an act of violence and control and has precious little to do with revealing clothing. There is a long list of elderly women, children and men who have been raped.  The argument that somehow if a woman wears revealing clothing and is raped that the clothing had something to do with it, is archaic and has been debunked a long time ago. Clearly Mr Tinsarran is living in the dark ages and would like us to return there.

Rape is not the fault of the victim but the perpetrator of that violent act.  A man rapes a woman because he wants to show that he’s stronger than her and that he can take whatever he wants. Until men begin to understand that they don’t own us, we are not property, they have no right to take from us what is most precious to us; until men stand up and speak out against the violence perpetrated against women and girls every day; until men show the unconditional respect to women that we deserve; until men become the men and fathers that God expects them to be, we will continue to have our women and girls raped and brutalized, and persons like the writer trying to abdicate his responsibility by blaming the victim instead of the rapist.

Yours faithfully,
Andrea Rohlehr-McAdam