“Drinking is not a crime. Rape is.” is the tagline of the recently launched Christmas campaign from Rape Crisis England and Wales:
The poster goes on to say: “No matter how much she’s drunk… No matter what she’s wearing… No matter if you’ve already kissed…sex without consent is rape.”
According to Marketing News: “The posters, which first ran in Scotland, are being distributed by the 44 Rape Crisis centres across the UK into local communities, including shopping centres, sports centres and local libraries.”
It would be good to see them also going up in pubs and clubs.
The Rape Crisis National Freephone Helpline is open from 12-2.30pm & 7-9.30pm every day of the year: you can call them on 0808 802 9999
Too Much To Say For Myself 
Men aren’t going to read these. Just sayin’.
This message is as important for women to read, so that they realize they are not to blame and to report any incidents so that the real culprits get what is warranted.
The thing is that women drinking like men IS seen by some as a crime; a deviation of the normal way of life. I’m not too sure about this poster.
I’d rather have a poster that has a picture of blokes drinking.
A good warning to women, that men are going to take advantage of women who are drinking… men deliberately try to get women drunk to coerce sex more easily. It’s why I avoid drinking with men or being in large groups of men ever. I think women need to leave the male pubs, and create women’s dominant areas…. I don’t trust men ever to leave women alone, and drinking is the tactic men use to rape women. Men believe that force and coersion is valid sex.
There are loads of circumstances where drinking is a crime. I appreciate we need to stop rape and I agree with the sentiment of the ads, but there’s also a huge problem with alcohol abuse in this country and we don’t need people promoting the idea it’s okay and legal for people to drink as much as they want.
Drinking is not a crime – not in this country, however women leave themselves in a much more vulnerable situation where they may not be in full control of their behaviour or able to realise what dangers they could be leaving themselves open to once they are drunk. Certain men may believe that it is acceptable to abuse a female once she intoxicated so women need to be aware of possible dangers and amend their behaviour accordingly.
As usual when the subject of women drinking and the subject of rape come up, so many people associate the word drinking with getting bladdered and lying face down in the gutter. Classi derailing.
Women who’ve had a couple of glasses of wine are being told you shouldn’t have been drinking. Drinking for women is seen as even one glass making you fair game and that’s unfair as men aren’t told don’t even have the one if you think it’ll make you rape her.
I had the glass of water I ordered to make sure that having had a few drinks I wasn’t too drunk spiked and was raped. I’ve been made to feel guilty about it ever since. Apparently it was the fact I’d been drinking that caused it all rather than a man deliberately putting a colourless, odourless, taste free substance into my glass while working behind the bar.
I don’t care if I’d been passed out by my own drinking. He raped me. He committed a crime. My being a bit silly doesn’t mean I should be punished for life.
You’re absolutely right gherkinette, in fact not only should you not be punished for life, you shouldn’t be punished at all, because you did nothing wrong.
Claire
No. Why on earth should women amend their behaviour and lead restricted lives, out of fear of what some men *might* do to them? Let the men who think it’s ok to go around raping amend their sodding behaviour!
I was raped on the 4th December by a ‘friend’ and someone I trusted. I was drunk (possibly even drugged) as I have total blackouts. I have reports that one minute I was fine and the next thing I was staggering the streets. However I managed to get home safe to my apartment only to discover my friends and my boyfriend had gone there looking for me. I told everyone to go away and leave me alone but one of my friends appears to have manipulated the situation to get rid of people and then I woke up to find him on top of me telling me he loved me. The police are saying it will be his word against mine. Any man who takes advantage of a woman when she is drunk and confused should be let loose amongst a group of women who have been raped, sexually assaulted, violated what ever you wish to call it. How dare he do this to me and how dare the justice system put the victim on trial. I am so angry and raw and I have lost a friend of over 20 years because she allowed him to stay behind when I had asked to be alone.
Now Fubar I am so sorry that this happened to you, and I hope you’re getting the support you need. Take care x