‘Rushing To Rape’ Was Rushed And Mistaken

To the editors:

Lucy M. Caldwell’s column “Rushing to Rape” (Apr. 18) rushed to its own uninformed conclusion: women should prevent sexual assault by “taking control of [their] sexual behavior.” Rather than ascribing responsibility for sexual violence to the attackers, she suggests that women should stop giving men the opportunity and the cause, from excessive alcohol consumption to unclear relationship expectations, to rape them. She also writes that “morning-after guilt and regrets can give way to overblown cries of violation or abuse.” Not only are we to believe that victims are complicit in their own attacks, but we must also doubt victims’ intentions in reporting crimes.

Caldwell’s statements reveal a much broader mindset about sexual violence. By focusing only on victims, many people tacitly excuse the attackers from responsibility. Rape cases often become interrogations of victims, their social lives, and the relational circumstances surrounding the rapes. Victims are forced to defend their own innocence because of the widespread attitudes Caldwell’s column advocates. Whether a victim is a stripper, wears short skirts, or attends Harvard University is irrelevant; all accusations need to be treated seriously. To do otherwise suggests that certain classes of women deserve or invite the attacks that take place. No one asks to be raped, no one deserves to be raped, and no one’s behavior excuses or justifies sexual attacks.

Caldwell’s argument is an absurd non sequitur. She argues that because there are false accusations of rape, we should focus on women’s responsibility for their sexual behavior rather than attackers’ guilt. She fails to mention that deliberately false accusations of rape are exceedingly rare; the Duke Lacrosse case is just one sensationalized example. All accounts show that tens of thousands of rape cases each year are unreported or grossly mishandled by medical and legal response centers. She also neglects to explain how changing women’s “sexual behavior” will change males’ responses to women, or why requiring both partners’ explicit consent is not the logical solution to the gray areas she identifies. Worst of all, her argument assumes that women with “common sense gone askew” are complicit in sexual attacks.

We believe that prevention strategies should help women to reduce risks and teach men to seek explicit consent. However, Caldwell’s argument—which imputes partial blame and suspicion to the victims—reinforces the perspective that women invite rape by tempting others to attack them. This strategy of victim-blaming and intimidation is simply abhorrent, and only furthers attitudes permissive to sexual violence.

Take Back the Night (TBTN) does not exist to spout statistics or place blame, as Caldwell claims, but to support all victims of sexual violence. We do not argue that the issues of sexual assault are clean cut, but we know that blaming victims only adds to the stigma of rape. Most rapists are never punished because the victims feel shame and guilt in reporting them. Awareness of the social and personal impacts of sexual violence and unwavering support for the victims are necessary for effective prevention.

While we regret the prosecutorial misconduct in the Duke Lacrosse case, we regret even more that over 50 women experience sexual assault at Harvard each year. We choose instead to lend our sympathy and support to the hundreds of thousands of rape and sexual assault victims nationwide. We hope that in this week students from across the political and social spectrum can join us in speaking out against sexual violence and standing together in support of rape victims.

The writers are co-chairs of TBTN and a member of the executive board, respectively. This statement was endorsed by the remainder of the executive board and many of TBTN’s co-sponsoring organizations.