Outré May, 2014 | Page 18

*Lucy was the fault of her own crime due to the fact that during the night she had consumed an excessive amount of alcohol and was dressed provocatively. After the verdict *Lucy told us, “I was wearing a modest white asymmetric dress, not too short and was on my period. How it can be said that I had lead him on is beyond me and I feel that the justice system has cheated me. More needs to be done about the way in which women are seen in a courtroom, especially those who have been raped. I did not know this man and I certainly never gave him consent. In my eye no means no, and that is exactly how the rest of the world should see it too. My confidence has been ruined and I’m too scared to even leave the house on my own now all down to this one event, it has ruined my life. The scariest part is that he is now free and able to rape another woman”. Scarily this verdict is not unusual. Last year only 1 in 30 rape cases resulted in the prosecution of the criminal. Not only does this let down the victims,but it also gives the rapists the confidence to go on and commit this crime again with the knowledge that they stand a good chance of getting away with it. but it also gives the rapist the confidence to go on an commit this crime again with th knowledge that they stand a goo chance of getting away with i When we compare these issue to those we know continu around the globe, our problem seem like we should not b complaining. However as a natio our women have fought for year to get us our equality legally, so it not only right that we shou be pushing to make sure tha they are in place in everyday life Rather than let these women efforts go to waste we shou be continually pushing. There still a long way to go until wome have the same rights as men, bu if we don’t start now, who wi *Names have and been location change If you have been affected by an of the issues in this article d o no hesitate to call us here at Outré o any of the hotlines shown below Rape Crisis Hotline : 0808 802 999