A feminist campaigner has started a petition calling on Sussex Police to withdraw controversial anti-rape posters which they say blame the victim.
The posters feature two young women and urge them not to leave their friends alone at night or go off alone with a stranger to prevent sexual assaults.
But many people have criticised them, saying that rape prevention should focus on the perpetrator’s behaviour, not the victim’s.
More than 500 people have now signed June Eric-Udorie’s petition after she started it yesterday evening.
The 16-year-old Brighton student said: “I was at school when I heard about the story, but it was bugging me all day.
“I was really angry and hurt because I know people who have gone through that and it’s the whole victim blaming culture again.
“I told my friends I was going to write a letter of complaint, and someone suggested I set up the petition.”
The young feminist, who has been campaigning on women’s issues since she was 12, added: “We are having a generation of young people who aren’t being educated about consent.
“Messages like this just don’t help – blaming the victim and suggesting it’s their fault for going off alone without their friends.
“The people who have the power to change this are the people who are carrying out the rape.
“We wouldn’t tell people to avoid fraud by not using their money or avoid being hacked by not having our emails so it’s clear that it’s ridiculous to suggest this.
“It’s only with women do I see such advice being given. Not many assaults could be prevented but all – by just not assaulting people.”
A spokeswoman for Sussex Police said: “We are aware of the petition and the comments both positive and negative in relation to this campaign.”
Those are bad analogies, you would tell people to avoid being mugged by not flashing wads of money on the street late at night and you would tell people to avoid being hacked by selecting a secure password and not giving it to nefarious people online. Unfortunately we love in a world with some nasty people who will commit crimes, not matter how posters tell them not to. Informing the public to be aware of this and not put themselves in harms way, is not victim blaming.
Stop being idealistic, and start helping.
The reality is, no poster is going to deter a would be attacker!
The best opportunity, not the most ideal, but the best opportunity, to avoid an incident is to arm the would be victim with proactive information.
Liberal idealism is useless, start helping by be a liberal realist!
“You people are insane. Is it victim blaming to warn someone not to approach a dog who is foaming at the mouth or not to give strangers a ride? Good advice and common sense is now victim blaming? People glamorize friends hooking up at bars. The campaign may have gotten some people to remember the frightening realities that can go with it but now never will. I guarantee at least some rapes will be on your heads as your PC nonsense is in actuality just dangerous ignorance.”