Poll: Rape is women's fault

2005-11-21 18:03

London - A British poll, described as "shocking" by equal-rights campaigners, has found that more than a third of people believe women are to blame for being raped if they behave flirtatiously, wear sexy clothes or get drunk.

The IMC survey, commissioned by Amnesty International, also provided a "sobering insight" into why the conviction rates for rape prosecutions at jury trials are falling, despite stricter laws, said campaigners.

Although the number of rapes reported to the police in Britain has gone up in recent years, the number of convictions has stayed constant, at just more than 5% of cases.

According to the poll, 34% of those asked thought a woman was "partially" or "totally" responsible for being raped if she behaved in a "flirtatious manner".

More than a quarter also thought a woman was "at least partly responsible" for being raped if she wore sexy or revealing clothing, or was drunk.

Drunk women "totally responsible"

One in five thinks a woman is partly to blame if it is known she has many sexual partners, while more than a third believe she is responsible to some degree if she has clearly failed to say "no" to the man.

A breakdown in the figures showed that more women (5%) than men (3%) thought a woman was "totally responsible" for being raped if she was intoxicated.

Amnesty International UK director Kate Allen called the poll results "disturbing".

"It is shocking that so many people will lay the blame for being raped at the feet of women themselves.

"These findings should act as a wake-up call to the government to urgently tackle the triple problem of the high incidence of rape, low conviction rates and a sexist blame culture," said Allen.

- SAPA