Rape is wrong. Anyone convicted of rape should go to prison for a very long time. To me these statements are obvious and irrefutable.
In today's world, however, we too often hear of cases of alleged rape in which there are no witnesses and insufficient evidence for any jury to decide whose version of events is true - the accuser or the accused. Consequently, the conviction rate in such cases is very low and some people claim that this is a disgrace and that more must be done to secure a 'better' conviction rate; that this flies in the face of proper justice seems to escape them.
In years gone by, young women did not disport themselves as they do today; they did not wear provocative clothing, get drunk, wonder the streets at all hours and nor did they jump into bed with someone they had met a few hours, or even minutes, before. Equally, young men were more controlled in their own behaviour, they did not expect young women to behave in these ways and treated them with greater respect. In a more constrained world, a young woman who cried 'Rape !' was much more likely to be believable.
The free-wheeling attitudes of today's world lead inevitably to situations in which both parties are drunk or drugged or both, in which both have been behaving in a highly sexual manner towards each other and in which expectations have been raised. When both men and women treat sex as no more than a few minutes of fun, to be enjoyed anywhere, anytime and with anyone, can we be surprised that at least some of these encounters end up unhappily ?
When a woman says 'No' that should be enough but, when the people involved have their senses dulled by drugs or alcohol, it is inevitable that it will not always be so. Regardless of this, a man who ignores a woman's words is, morally at least, guilty of rape. The real problem arises when an attempt is made to turn this moral guilt into a guilty verdict in court. This is where the social climate in which we now live comes into play.
To suggest that the burden of proof should be reduced in such cases is not the answer. To convict anyone in a criminal court should always demand the same level of evidence and proof, regardless of the alleged crime; any other approach will inevitably lead to unsafe and potentially wrong convictions of innocent people. The answer has to be to encourage a change in the behaviour of younger people, to encourage more control and less loutishness, to make the sexual act less of a' throwaway' event; however unpalatable it may be, young women must learn to behave more like young ladies and be less provocative and available. Young men must realise that, whether they like it or not, young women are not simply provided for their sexual gratification; they must accept that 'No' means 'No', even if they would like to think it doesn't.
Rape is a shocking crime, but at least some women contribute to their fate by their behaviour; it is quite wrong to exonerate them from all responsibility and lay the whole blame for any such act at the door of the man accused. If women want a 'better' conviction rate for these crimes, they must take steps to protect themselves in their everyday lives; if they continue to behave as they do, they will have to accept a fair share of the responsibility when things go too far. Part of that share is being unable to prove that a rape occurred.
