This week, I had an assignment at uni that involved me looking in depth at the Devon and Cornwall Police campaign, No Consent + Sex = Rape. Rapes are notoriously under-reported to the police these days, as there seems to be confusion over what "real" rape is. The aim of this campaign was to make young people aware that actually, rape isn't just commited by strangers in a public place, or a break in using force and injury, but actually that rape can also be commited by someone you may have met or known, and often happens in houses or flats. It was also important that the myths of rape were cleared up for all to see.
By talking to young girls, aged 16-21, they managed to put across the point, that excessive comsumption of alcohol can lead to them being vunerable. Not only talking to young women, but talking to men aged 17-37 they raised awareness of the consequences of having non consential sex.
To tackle this campaign they used a variety of methods, from posters and ad banners to bluetooth campaigns and facebook pages. Pretty different to see the police using facebook don't you think? Videos were also created and shown via youtube and in cinemas.
After a successful summer of campaigning, reported rapes went up 13% which is a great achievement, but as young people ourselves, what do you think would help to tackle the problem or rape, and alcohol related rape?
And to any men reading this, do you ever think about how drunk a girl is when you meet them on a night out, and what may happen later on?
Georgina x
This campaign is so important! I had no idea that rape is nearly always committed by someone you have met or know! It is a scary thought! I feel that the Devon and Cornwall police dealt with a sensitive issue very well and clearly from the results they were successful. People do need to be more aware that when they are drinking they are putting themselves at risk. I know that often when I have been drinking I tend to trust new people very quickly and that is obviously not a good idea. It is also really good that the police were using social media channels as it will hit their target audience perfectly!
ReplyDeleteI think it's about time they got into social media especially when thinking about the audience they are trying to target, so I'm pleased to see they used facebook for this campaign which I'm sure helped it to succeed in raising awareness. I was also glad to see that they targeted both men and women, so as to cover the issue from both angles. I'll definitely be pointing my friends to this blog so that they also understand the myths. Would be good to see this campaign rolled out nationally.
ReplyDeleteIt's a good idea to inform guys aswell because when a girl realises she made a mistake then consential sex turns into allegations. Also
ReplyDeleteI have seen girls take advantage of boys on many occassions!
I think that this issue is so important and also current. When i go out clubbing the amount of girls, and also guys, that i see stumbling around the place and can barely stand on their own two feet is crazy, and the amount of girls i see all over guys and vice versa is also ridiculous. If they can't even stand up without falling over, how in gods name are they supposed to be able to know what they are doing or getting themselves into?
ReplyDeleteI think that this campaign had a really good outcome, and its good to know that they are actually people out there who are trying to tackle this issue, but i agree with what Louis said about when a girl realises shes made a mistake this then turns into allegations which may not be the right thing to do. I think that this issue is always going to be an issue and its not really ever going to be 100 percent dealt with, just because of the nature of it. Obviously this is different when it comes to the rapes that you mentioned in your post that are aggresive and comitted by strangers, but when it comes to those that are committed by someone you may know its a very sensitive subject.
Sorry for rambling on! But the campaign really interested me and its something that i feel people need to be more aware of.. x