Burqa or naked, rape is unacceptable, and it’s always the victim that suffers for the rest of their life. A rapist will be let off after serving a minimum of half their sentence, yet for the victim, they have to life with a death sentence involving shame and fear.

In a recent survey in North Dakota, men were asked if they would consider raping a woman if there were no ramifications afterwards. And one in three men said they would rape a woman if there were no consequences. They would essentially accept taking a woman’s right to say no, and forcing her to have non-consensual sex simply to satisfy their own needs. Is that how selfish we have become, that we would commit an unlawful and unethical crime to satisfy ourselves, ignoring the emotional and physical (permanent) damage this would inflict on the victim?

It’s sickening to comprehend that some men in today’s society believe it is perfectly okay to rape a woman, and then condemn her for her outfit choice or suggesting she even “led him on” or was “asking for it.” There is no excuse or justification for forcing someone to have sex. And it makes me question why on earth we are telling women how to dress, as opposed to teaching men NOT to rape and to show some self-restraint when it comes to their sexual desires. I think it’s time we started teaching people that forcing someone to have sex is rape, and there are no two ways about it. Non-consent is rape. It is a criminal act that could lead to your imprisonment. It damages the victim’s physical and psychological welfare permanently. It’s time to stop putting the victims in the spotlight, and telling them what they did wrong that caused them to be sexually assaulted and raped. It’s time to stop predators committing these acts of sexual violence.