Her clothes are not an invitation to rape.

Rapists do not rape women because of their clothes. A woman’s clothes is not an incitement to rape. Clothes are voiceless, it is the rape victims that have voices, the same voice that they repeatedly use to scream out NO, disapproving violation, that is what counts, their tense bodies, and the kicks and the tears, the fear and the numbness written all over their faces speak for itself. If her yes was not an explicit yes, then that is rape, her clothes do not consent to sex, her lips do. Rapists choose to ignore that due to lack boundaries on their part, they have no respect for women, human dignity, themselves, and for life in general. They should never find comfort in excusing their vile behavior based on the choice of clothes a woman chose to wear. They should blame themselves for their actions. Women do not ask for it, they have the right to dress however they want and not be harassed or raped.

Focus should not be placed on the rape victim but the rapist. He is the one who has changes to make not the victims. Yes, we do live in a world that is not perfect, in our attempt to strive for perfection, addressing the people who need to change is of paramount importance. Placing the burden on women to prove that they did not contribute to being raped because of what they wore is anti-progressive. There is absolutely no reason to prove a shared responsibility for a woman’s violation without a suggestive justification for perpetrators ‘appalling behavior.

Considering that we are living in a relatively modern and progressive world, one would assume that we should have done away with notions such as this. It is therefore imperative to have awareness programs to eradicate the entrenched attitude that there is such a thing as dressed in a manner that invites rape and that some men are like animals with uncontrollable triggers and incapable of controlling themselves and respecting other people’s rights.