CHRISTMAS RAPE PREVENTION CAMPAIGN LAUNCHED


A THOUGHT-provoking multi-agency Christmas Rape Prevention campaign goes live on Monday (November 30) calling on potential victims and offenders to think about their behaviour over the festive period and not put themselves in situations they could regret forever.

Divided into two key themes with separate messages aimed at men and women, the initiative will run for the whole of December with radio commercials and posters in washrooms in pubs and clubs across the county.

Through the use of radio advertising and bespoke posters, the first theme aims to remind women that saying ‘yes' to a drink doesn't mean you have said ‘yes' to being sexually assaulted. Both forms of advertisement contain information about how to find help and support if a woman becomes a victim of rape or any other sexual offence and urges victims not to suffer in silence.

The second theme aims to be a stark reminder for men who go out for the evening and end up falling foul of the law because they have misread the ‘signs' and/or deliberately assault a woman. The poster headline is deliberately challenging, it says ‘Rape – short word long sentence'. The radio commercial features a discussion between two friends, one of whom is now in prison because he misread the signs and took advantage of a woman.

The posters will be displayed in the male and female washrooms of nearly 30 venues across the county including major pubs, clubs and shopping malls, whilst the radio commercials are being broadcast throughout the day on Heart FM and Mercury FM in Watford during the first week of December.

Co-ordinated by the county's Rape Prevention Board, whose members include representatives from Hertfordshire County Council and Hertfordshire Constabulary, the campaign is being staged as part of a national drive to reduce offences over the holiday season.

Superintendent Andy McCracken, who chairs the Rape Prevention Board, said: “We want everyone to enjoy their Christmas celebrations, but we are asking those who go out to take care and not put themselves in situations that they may regret. Equally, there will be situations where men in particular, usually through drink, can misread signals from women and find themselves on the very wrong side of the law.

“Being drunk is not a defence for assaulting a woman and the consequences can carry a ‘life-time' sentence. Equally women have the right to say yes to a drink and no to sex and there needs to be a wider understanding about this.”

Keith Emsall, Executive Member for Community Safety and Culture, said: “Hertfordshire County Council is supportive of any attempts to reduce violence against women. We want communities where people can feel safe when they go out, regardless of their age or gender.”

November 2009