Outrage about the supposed victim blaming shown on this NHS poster has spread like wildfire across the internet.
It is a poster, part of the “Know Your Limits” campaign, with the message “One in three reported rapes happens when the victim has been drinking”.
It does not have the purpose to inflict blame on to rape victims.
It has the purpose to raise awareness of the facts that if you are intoxicated you are vulnerable to rape. The more intoxicated you are, the more vulnerable you are. Advise and awareness like this are preventative measures. If your door is unlocked, or your bag is unzipped, then there is an easier opportunity for a crime to be committed against you. .
It is the same as the police advising us to lock our doors, keep your bag zipped when out and about etc.
It is never your fault that someone else decided to take that opportunity. Be it theft, assault or rape, it is never the victims fault that you were the one the perpertrater chose as their victim, for whatever reason that was.
“Three in three rapes happen when a person decides to rape.” I’ve seen this as a edit to the poster and I completely agree with it.
However, until we can stop rapists from raping, posters like this are for awareness to prevent yourself from becoming a victim of rape by not making yourself easier target. Drinking excessive amounts of alcohol impairs your judgement, can knock you out all which make you vulnerable.
It’s common sense to lock your house up when you leave to prevent burglary but they can still smash a window, just as being drunk isn’t a guarantee to getting raped but it increases the chances of someone taking advantage as burglars do with unlocked doors at night.
This is not a poster to blame victims, it is a poster of awareness to prevent yourself from becoming a victim. KNOW YOUR LIMITS!
Keep aware and sensible, because especially in the UK, most people go out to get smashed and what could happen while they’re passed out could be prevented if they were a little more sober.
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