Campaigning to change a rape culture

Why? Scottish Executive research (2008) 24% of people think a woman can be at least partly responsible if she is drunk at the time of the attack 27% thought a woman bore some responsibility if she wore revealing clothing 29% say there should be some burden of responsibility if a woman is flirting 15% think rape can be a woman’s fault if she is known to have had many sexual partners Amnesty research (2005): over a third of people believe a woman is totally or partially responsible for being raped if she has behaved in a ‘flirtatious’ manner 28% believe she is totally or partially responsible if she is drunk 27% believe she is totally or partially responsible if she is wearing ‘sexy or revealing’ clothing 25% believe she is totally or partially responsible if she has had many sexual partners Zero Tolerance research (1998) 1 in 2 boys and 1 in 3 girls thought it was acceptable for a man to force a woman to have sex in certain circumstances

Aims of the campaign The campaign aimed to challenge attitudes which attach blame to women who have been raped, and in particular bust the following rape myths: If a woman engages in some level of sexual intimacy, she has only herself to blame if things go further than she wanted that some women lead men on by dressing or behaving ‘provocatively’ that women who drink to excess should take some responsibility if they become victims of sexual violence that rape is a crime primarily committed by strangers & that married women cannot be raped by their husbands

The campaign Campaign launched on 15th October 2008, outdoor advertising started on 20th October for 2 week period Dedicated interactive campaign website Campaign facebook site – over 2,000 members Support local violence against women multi- agency partnerships in using the campaign locally across Scotland External evaluation carried out into impact of campaign

Dress

Intimacy (1)

Drinking

Marriage/relationship (1)

Reactions to the Campaign

Campaign evaluation 882 interviews with members of public (including boost sample of 108 BME respondents): 98% agreed the campaign tackles an important issue 65% stated it would encourage them to talk about the subject with their friends and family 61% said that it would make them consider their own attitudes towards rape

Campaign evaluation “People aware of the campaign were significantly less likely to agree that women are in any way responsible for rape if they are flirting or dressed in revealing clothing versus those unaware of the campaign. These themes were represented in the campaign and it appears they could have had an impact on attitudes.” Quote from This is not an invitation to rape me: Campaign Evaluation Report, Progressive, January 2009

What worked well Strength of campaign images Testing process invaluable Pre launch work with stakeholders played significant role in making campaign a success Interactive website – longevity beyond duration of actual campaign – by April ,228 visits (88.85% new visits) Viral media crucial in spreading word of campaign

Joint Police & Rape Crisis postcard Campaign (Christmas 2009 & 2010)