Rape Crisis Scotland

Prejudicial attitudes - from one who should know better

The past week has seen yet another rape in Glasgow city centre, this time of a woman who was assaulted by three men, having been dragged into a back lane after a night out with friends.

The outrage and shock which followed the assault has been compounded by remarks made by Conservative MSP Bill Aitken, in the course of a conversation with the Sunday Herald. Far from expressing concern for the woman’s welfare, or that she could be seized so brazenly, Mr Aitken’s immediate focus centred on her behaviour and the suspicions he ascribed to her geographical location. He was far more inclined to wonder if she had been engaged in prostitution than to worry that she had been very seriously sexually assaulted. When challenged later about what he had said, Mr Aitken at first tried to deny his remarks, but when faced with a transcript, later felt compelled to apologize to the woman and her family.

Sadly his instinct and willingness to call into question the behaviour of a woman who was raped rather than to question what her attackers might have done is very common indeed. Such prejudices are frequently seen in the course of rape trials and are often a major factor in the decisions of the great many women who feel that they cannot report the appalling sexual assaults committed against them. When cases do get to court, the very same prejudices can seriously hamper the justice process for women.

However, where we do not expect to find these views are on the Justice Committee of the Scottish Parliament, and when we hear them from the mouth of the Convenor of the Committee himself, we really have to ask ourselves if that really is the best we can do for the women of Scotland?

There have been 1 comments so far

1. L

   01 Mar 11, 10:57pm

   Well said. Now, Mr Aitken has resigned, is there any chance that the Justice committee will make efforts to ensure that justice is more than just an abstract concept? That violent criminals have a 90%+ chance of being charged,convicted and prosecuted instead of the present situation? Bill Aitken merely said what many think, that, rape is only a word when in fact it is a violent crime. An apologetic press release is one thing, but there are three rapists who have gone further under the radar thanks to such idiotic comments.

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