Time and again, influential personalities and institutions have made statements about rape, blatantly putting the blame of the assault on the woman who was violated. 

Here are examples of the same from the last few years which will make your blood boil. We hope they do.

1. The Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan recently said that if a woman wears “few clothes”, it will have an “impact on men”. His exact words:

If a woman is wearing very few clothes, it will have an impact on the men, unless they are robots. It’s just common sense.

2. A Goa court acquitted Tarun Tejpal, an accused in a rape case, after observing that the survivor did not “demonstrate” the behavior one would expect from someone who has been sexually assaulted. This is what the fast-track court had to say about the case:

The photos show the prosecutrix to be absolutely cheerful and with a smile on her face and not disturbed, reserved, terrified or traumatised in any manner.

3. Meena Kumari, member of Women’s Commission, UP, said that sexual assault of women happens because they talk on phone. 

Women talk on mobile phone for hours, and one day, talking to the guys, they run away with them…If at all you take the risk of giving them phones, make sure you check them regularly.

4. Lahore CCPO Umar Sheikh said that a group of men gangraping a woman was partially because she took a longer route to her destination.

I am surprised that she, a mother of three children, chose to go without a driver. You left Defence, you (should) take the straight GT Road where there is population and go home.

This led to a huge uproar and he apologised later.

Check Out – Punishment for rape victim in different countries

5. Australia’s Defence Minister, Linda Reynolds, called her former aide, “lying cow” after the latter accused one of Linda’s ex-advisers of raping her. 

The minister apologised and settled the case later.

6. UK Independent Party candidate Carl Benjamin came under fire for first tweeting “I wouldn’t even rape you”, regarding MP Jess Phillips. 3 years later, he uploaded a YouTube video saying, “With enough pressure, I might cave”. 

His YouTube account was demonetised.

7. Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president, Mullappally Ramachandran, said that “a woman of self-respect” will die if she is assaulted for the second time. 

A woman with self respect will either die after she is raped once, or will try not to be sexually assaulted again.

8. Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala asked the media if only CPI-M workers had the right to assault women, after a member of his own party was accused of the same. Here is his quote:

Is it written somewhere that only DYFI workers can assault (women)?

9. A bench of Karnataka High Court suggested that it is “unbecoming of an Indian woman” to fall asleep after she is “ravished”.

The statement received a huge backlash from different sections of media and society. Though such judgments continue to be given.

The explanation offered by the complainant that after the perpetration of the act she was tired and fell asleep is unbecoming of an Indian woman; that is not the way our women react when they are ravished.

10. The Supreme Court of India asked a man if he will marry the woman he is accused of raping. 

The heinous act was committed when the woman was a minor, but because she wasn’t at the time of the particular ruling, the court thought it could settle matters with marriage. Or at least that was the question suggested.

We need to create a world where sexual assault doesn’t exist and blaming the victims for the attacks is not how we are going to be able to achieve that.