Slutwalk reaches ME and Arab world

Why we have so many misconceptions; I just asked to be safe rather feel sorry later.

Never asked to wear a burqa or use padlocks......wear non revealing decent clothes to avoid unnecessary attention.

Why we can't balance our life style in a moderate ways then over exposing our selves to the bigger risk. Unnecessary showing off our assets in public places, I don't think I need to explain in detail what is modesty all about to well educated QL community.

Ignorance is not an acceptable excuse and willful blindness is a crime.

Peace

Feminism is such a win, isn't it?

When I travelled to London and Colombo; I have been given a big list of precautionery measures for personal safety from the hotel....including avoid using Metro after 8PM and don't enter a compartment when nobody else travelling, etc.

I have noticed in Qatar, female walking alone on the dark streets around 11PM. They should walk in a group or travel by a car/cab. Why they are unnecessary exposing themselves to risk?

Certain safety measures to be adopted in every country.

you are SCARY !! :p

Im not playing this game anymore !! :P

I AM a good boy.. *Blushing* :p

Tinkerbell .. don't forget to buy handcuffs and a whip :P

ok, let's all go and get the Burka.

Better hidden than sorry.

Or better yet...let us stay indoors, in a locked room, it's safer that way.

this planet; who deserved to get raped and the man cannot be held responsible for the actions.

In short, criminals and opportunists are there everywhere like hungry Wolves and Lions; we (ethical and moral people) have to ensure that our sheeps and deers are in safe custody and well under protection from law breakers.

Conclusion: Be modest in every walk of life.

Hope you got the point.

Peace

Well said. It s all about raising awareness and ensuring that aw enforcers ate their caims seriously. Nothing more.

I think you didn't really read that article...

it says: Through a rapist's eyes! A group of rapists and date rapists in prison were interviewed on what they look for in a potential victim and here are some interesting facts

It never said strangers ONLY..

Yeah right, You'll say Women shouldn't cry "Rape" when its not.. and they'll all listen to you and obey ..People believe her and the guy gets punished.. but when they don't believe her.. she cries cruelty and joins the so called "slutwalk" !!

Its not always MEN's fault !! if women would stop faking "Rapes"... Rapist wont get any chance to get away with it

Most rapes aren't actually commited by strangers in the dark. NUMEROUS studies around the world have found you're more likely to be raped by someone you know.

And they don't care a fig what you're wearing.

That said, no, women shouldn't cry 'rape' when it's not. But we also need to work on believing women when they do claim they've been raped-- a lot of victims won't come forward for fear they won't be believed.

again, I think Slutwalks are more about removing all the things we used to quantify rape. That it wasn't so bad because she was drunk/wearing a short skirt/asking for it, that it wasn't so bad because it was her boyfriend/husband, that maybe she's lying. . . slutwalks are about drawing some attention to the unchangeable fact that rape should not happen, and the onus is on MEN not to rape, not for women to take the responsibility for not being raped onto themselves.

qwertyness...I agree with you that women should not be blamed or held responsible for getting raped.. but some women just take advantage of the word "rape"and use it for their benefits.. For example in those countries where premarital sex is illegal and if a couple gets caught having sex.. the easiest way out for woman is to call it a rape !!

Also, heres an article posted on QL few weeks ago called "Through a Rapist's Eye".. which says:

The second thing men look for is clothing. They will look for women who's clothing is easy to remove quickly. Many of them carry scissors around to cut clothing

Read more: http://qatarliving.com/node/2855153#ixzz1vhfy2OMN

So yeah, according to this article if a girl is dressed in "easy to remove" clothes it somehow gives the rapist an opportunity to attack her.

Victory, you just nicely nailed EXACTLY what slutwalks are trying to do.

You muddly the waters when you start talking about hte different 'factors' that led to rape. . . social, family, alcohol, drugs, what she was wearing, where she was, what she was doing. . .

NONE OF THAT MATTERS.

At the end of the day, things like that, as well as religion, traditional, culture, whatever, are just things for people to hide behind. They're ways to differentiate someone who's done something horrible from a rapist. It's a way of saying the man you know, your brother or friend or even yourself, isn't as bad as those horrible bad criminals, because, after all, she was wearing a short skirt and you couldn't control yourself. OR your culture or religion expects certain things, and so you can't be held responsible for your actions.

End of day, no woman, no matter what she is doing, wearing or where int he world she is, deserves to be raped. And no woman is responsible, at all, if it happens to them. Once we get THAT straight, we can start changing the situation.

MM......Newspaper represent very small section of the society, it published only what is reported by courts.

There is no section to report good stories, good employers, etc.

You keep that head of yours in the sand Victory.

Tinkerbell10..nah, this was something extraordinary and so caught my eyes otherwise it is all well.

Tinker .. you're here and we're waiting for your performance on "QL Talent show"..

Sorry guys.. you keep up the good work here..

I am very much intrigued actually on his(?)sudden appearance and for what he(?)appeared. Anyways, thats not the topic of this post, just saying as it keeps me intrigued and the name appeared here.

Frenchieman has risen from the ashes. He is Bachus now!

Yet Victory there's an article almost every day in the papers in this region where a woman is blamed for her rape, assault, harassment, etc. So obviously some people are supporting it.

too fast in responding, spend some time; pls don't jump to the conclusions, young lady.

Nobody could support and defend a rape blaming only a women.

There are many factors involved which creates such dirty environment, from social family structure, teachings from parents, alcohol intake, drugs, and so on....

um. . . so you're saying if i do a bit more research I'll find that Islam supports blaming women for their own rapes?

Interesting.

Respecting culture is different from understanding the background behind such local traditions and religious culture.

Qwerty....a humble request to explore and learn more about Islamic teachings, its historical background regarding universal peace and the status of women in past and present. This may answer your concerns.

Peace

Respectng culture is one thing: holding on to inequalities and injustices by claiming it's tradition is hogwash.

Sometimes we SHOULD shake up the 'social set up' as you call it.

on deaf ears; should visit Saudi Arabia.

The local culture and religious traditions are taken sensitively.

Such forums and its authors have to remain very careful for influencing bad practise and attacking on social set up.

I really don't think nationality or religion has anything to do with this, actually. this stuff should be universal, it doesn't matter where you're from or who you worship.

Did I say anything different about the theme of the movement, that deserved a 'No'.

If we mix nationality and religion to what a women is wearing then it becomes a cocktail...and then falls out of the theme of the movement which is based on just one parameter that which gives it a universal acceptance (generally).

Exactly Mimi! Actually, a report I remember when I was a student in Canada found that around 80 per cent of sexual assaults were intimate partner assaults: ie someone you knew and trusted, a boyfriend, friend, husband, etc.

that said, in the Arab world, if someone you know and trusts rapes you, it's not considered rape. And it's blamed, legally, on the woman. Not to mention archaic standards of 'proof' to 'prove' it was rape.

As Qatar develops, women's equality and rights are going to become more and more important: if the country wants to be taken seriously as a modern state, it needs that. they do a lot of good things, sure, but this attitude needs to change. Slutwalks and very vivid displays would help i think.

So, who wants to organize the first Qatar Slutwalk? :)

No, the movement itself is against the idea that a woman deserves to be attacked because of what they wear. And I believe in most countries women aren't attacked because of what they wear. Studies done of rapists show that what the victim is wearing usually has very little bearing on why they were attacked.

However, in this region, and yes I mean souly this region alone, I think women are targeted on the basis of nationality, religion and what they are wearing. However, even if every single woman wore niqab, certain women would still be targeted, most likely on the basis of nationality.

Like it or not, many men here are raised to believe that a woman is "valuable" based on her religion, her nationality and her dress.

The theme of the movement itself is about women being targetted cos of what they wear and so "Sadly, in this region, I think some women are targeted because of what they wear"....isn't limited to this region alone.

prism: 'nip it in the bud themselves'? Isn't that kind of missing the point?

I think too often that's what happens: it's easier to tell women to cover up and be modest, and then if something happens, well oh well, it's their fault.

I think this is a bigger problem in this region because there are still laws and customs that legally put the blame on women: whether it's honour killings, a lack of legal action against sexual violence and domestic violence, and as I said before laws that force women into marrying their abusers, not to mention the huge culture of shame around it that leads to suicides. . .In many other countries these things may still happen, but the laws are changing, and there is an effort to stop it. This part of the world, on the other hand, is doing the opposite.

I would say the "tide" turned towards this region because the women here liked what they saw in Canada(and elsewhere around the world) and decided to replicate the event.

The movement started from Canada cos something happeend there...how does the tide gets turned towards this region now...wouldn't it be just said 'anywhere'?

BTW I always find it hilarious when people attempt to educate others and pass on the onus onto others to behave while a bit of self help would nip the trouble, to themselves, in the bud. As they say better be safe then be sorry (something like that)..

I think that's the root of this movement mimi: the idea is to stop blaming the victim, and start blaming the purpetrator. I've heard from numerous women that they veil and cover because it's not right to toy with men's uncontrollable urges. . . utter hogwash. We should be raising our sons to respect women enough to know that harming them is never acceptable, not raising our daughters to believe they are responsible for their own rape.

i think this is crucial for this region to talk about: considering there are still countries who force women to marry their rapists to remove the 'shame' of it!

I have to agree with Fatimah that I dislike the term slut and think it's completely counter-intuitive to the movement. We should be trying to get rid of labels like that, not glorify them.

However, I do agree with the overall sentiment of the protest itself. Women do not deserve to be raped because of what they wear.

Sadly, in this region, I think some women are targeted because of what they wear, but that's because the men aren't raised to control themselves, but just the opposite.

OH, and BTW, this is EXACTLY what this region needs to hear now!

No, using the name Slutwalk isn't just to draw attention. It's to say that no matter what people may call someone-- prostitute, slut, immodest, whatever-- that doesn't mean anyone has the right to abuse them. Just because a woman may be dressed provacatively doesn't mean she deserved to be raped, or brought it on herself.

It's 2012. Slut shaming shouldn't still be happening.

You are right Fatimah; that term is to attract people's attention.

At OP, be modest and balance approach in all aspect of life.

Ok, well first: the movement started because a police officer in Ontario told a group of university students that if women didn't dress provacatively they would be safer from rape and assault.

People were appalled: no matter what a woman is wearing, no man has a right to touch her without her permission!

More nonsense.

and I say it again;Perhaps I am overly sensitive and/or old fashioned, but I'm just totally against the title of this movement, ie the word "slut". Having a sister, cousins, relatives and friends who dress the way these protesting ladies do(maybe even more exposing), I am against calling a woman a slut based on how she's dressed. I feel by naming thier cause such,these ladies are themselves guilty of what they accuse others of doing,ie judging and/or name calling a woman on how she is clad. Not all women who expose are sluts(I hate that word) and vice versa.

It has nothing to do with 'QL', so just ignore it.

No comments... check the Avatar, and no, I´m not in that kind of trade. I think everyone has the right to wear what they want as long as it doesn´t offend the place or local culture. Regards.

I heard what you said, and I feel the same. The name is cringe-worthy

You can always tell a police officer by the uniform they wear, and they are treated accordingly. You can always tell a Doctor or Nurse by what they wear, and they are treated accordingly. Hence you can always tell a prostitute by what she wears, and they are treated accordingly. It's your business if you want to dress like a prostitute. I wont stop you. But be prepared to be treated badly by society in general. Global movement.. I had one of those a couple of hours ago..

Didn't we do this a few months ago ??

looks more like women 'reclaiming' the right to dress sluttily as some kind of expression of their sexuality. Seems almost akin to the 'pole dancing as empowering' branch of post-feminism which I find quite vile.

Yep. It's coming!