Drunk women put themselves in danger said Judge Lindsey Kushner QC on her last case. Meghan Clark, a 19 year old has waived her right to anonymity to agree with her after she was raped. Well good for her. How brave. She is still a victim and her attacker has been sentenced to six years for raping her, but she acknowledges that if she hadn’t been so drunk, she wouldn’t have put herself in such a vulnerable position and so just maybe it wouldn’t have happened.
Young women do need to be careful when they are out at night and to take more responsibility for themselves and for their own safety as well as their friends and the retiring judge took the opportunity to make the statement that “women should be aware that potential attackers gravitate towards girls who have been drinking” but she’s been criticised by charities and a police commissioner for her remarks.
Surely it goes without saying that anyone intent on an attack is going to go for the weakest link? It’s the law of the land. A basic animal instinct and so if you make sure you stay in the herd and keep your wits about you, you are likely to be safer. I have witnessed these same young women (and men) – girls and boys really, setting off for a night out in London after a “pre-lash,” who are too drunk to leave the house without falling into a bush before getting into the taxi. That is when you should make the decision to stay behind and next time, pace yourself, but your judgement is skewed, so you don’t. It’s not rocket science and it’s not insulting to women to point it out. These are safety measures and as parents it’s our job to try and make sure our children are armed with this knowledge in order to be safe. It’s a fact that women in the UK tend to drink too much or take too many drugs when they go out and this can obviously lead to putting themselves in danger as they are not fully aware of their surroundings. That is of course not to say that there is ever any excuse for an anyone to attack, but we can take steps to stay away from danger. For the most part, there are kind people in the world to help you get yourself home, but for the unlucky few, in the wrong place and the wrong time, your world can come crashing down.
Ms Clark said the QC’s comments were “right” and that it was “good advice.” I cannot imagine what she went through and to step forward to highlight the issue of the drinking (and drugs) culture we have today is a step in the right direction and will make young women think twice before they wander off alone after a night out. This is not victim-blaming I don’t think, these are merely strong words that need to be taken seriously. Girls may feel that somehow it was their fault, which is why so many attacks don’t get reported, but Meghan Clark has powerfully stated her case. That it was not her fault because it is never the victim’s fault, but that she could have been more careful. Her message is “don’t be discouraged by the system letting you down, or people being judgemental because it will happen regardless,” nevertheless she would “encourage people to report it.”
This is common sense and something that we as parents continuously pass on to all the young women we know. There are rules. Don’t drink so much that you can’t take responsibility for yourself and your friends and don’t go home alone.
If she has helped avoid even one female getting raped then her brave public appearance will have been worth it. Good for her.
