Aren’t we blaming the victim when we say that women’s revealing dresses are the cause of crimes against them?

by Chaitanya CharanOctober 3, 2013
From Kamalaksi Rupini dd BhS

Please accept my humble obeisances.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada

Hare Krsna, prabhu.
I must say I don’t agree with what you wrote.
We have plenty of examples of women who were raped and were not dressing anything indecent. We also have plenty of examples of kids being raped or even very old women, who were definitely not dressed in such a way to “provoke” man.
That is the same kind of argument that makes muslim women to cover themselves from head to toe and also the same kind of argument that makes them sometimes be forced to be at home. Although it is an ok argument from the perspective of mental exercise of thinking, it is not completely according to the truth, as I said, since even kids are raped, and also it does not address the real problem – that is men behaving like animals. Women are NOT responsible for men’s lack of control or lack of intelligence, and they should not shape their behavior or life as if they were the culprit. That would be like legitimating what men are doing, even though it can be covered under a speech that “ok, women are not to be blamed but…” but actually it is blaming women when it said it is because of the way they dress they are inviting these kind of things.
Please, don’t take it as an offense. I have a deep respect for you and I appreciate your articles a lot. But I must give my opinion on this matter.

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Chaitanya Charan