TonioTimeDaily

“RAPE MYTHS Myth #1 “Rape/sexual violence is something only done by a stranger in a dark alley.” Busted! We know that almost all (92%) of survivors know or can identify the perpetrator(s) (Kingi & Jordan, 2009). Myth #2 “Rape/sexual violence is a one-off traumatic event.” Busted! Kingi & Jordan (2009) found in their study that only 11 out of 75 survivors had experienced a single incident of sexual violence as an adult, whereas 85% of survivors reported being sexually assaulted more than once. Myth #3 “Survivors will always report sexual violence to the police.” Busted! Reporting of sexual violence in Aotearoa New Zealand is very low, with only an estimated 9% of incidents ever reported to police (Ministry of Women’s Affairs, 2009). There are many understandable reasons why survivors don’t report and it is totally up to them if they want to or not. Reasons may include: Fear of not being believed, fear of the effect it on their family, feelings of shame fear of the offender, blaming themselves, the nature of the relationship with the offender, fear or not trusting the legal system, don’t think or know that sexual violence is a crime. Myth #4 “False complaints are common.” Busted! The majority of sexual violence claims are true. Research has shown that approximately only 8% of rape allegations are false (Ministry of Women’s Affairs, 2009). If we believe someone when they confide in us, they are much more likely to get the help they need. This is why it is incredibly important to believe someone if they tell you they have been sexually assaulted. Myth #5 “Being intoxicated, flirting, wearing a short skirt or dress, and/or walking alone at night is an invitation to be sexually assaulted.” Busted! Nothing is an invitation to be sexually assaulted. People have the right to drink alcohol, be flirty, wear whatever they want, walk alone at night—and still be safe. It is ALWAYS the fault of the person doing the harmful sexual behaviour and NEVER the survivor’s. Myth #6 “Sexual violence only happens to women.” Busted: Although most sexual violence happens to women (one in five by the age of 16), one in ten males will also be sexually assaulted by their 16th birthday (Clark, 2015) and one in two transgender individuals will be sexually assaulted at some point in their lives (Forge, 2005). VICTIM BLAMING Part of rape culture is victim blaming - victim blaming is when the actions or movements of the victim/survivor are blamed for the sexual assault instead of the perpetrator.” -https://rpe.co.nz/what-is-rape-culture/ --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/antonio-myers4/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/antonio-myers4/support