Short skirts, headphones, tight clothing and alcohol do not rape women, men do. So, victim blaming and shaming should not be tolerated, according to the victim of the recently convicted UK cop, Lee Martin-Cramp, who was extradited to Antigua to face his crime.
In an exclusive interview with OBSERVER media yesterday, the young woman said it is ridiculous that people would seek to find ways to say a victim deserved to be raped because of the way she walked, talked, dressed or where she went or because she probably had a drink.
She was responding to questions from our newsroom which were triggered by several social media posts by residents here, who said women’s behaviour and attire often contribute to them being raped.
“I can think of no other crime where victim shaming is such an acceptable response to a crime. Rape survivors face questions about what they were wearing, were they drinking, etc. as if this means they somehow deserved what happened. That way of thinking is simply ridiculous. The person responsible for rape is the rapist, period. If a woman does not give consent or is unable to give consent, that is rape,” she stressed.
Speaking about her own attack that occurred in May 2015, the young woman said, “In my case, I was drugged and raped by a police officer, someone in society who should be trustworthy. I was neither drunk nor wearing ‘provocative’ clothing. Going through the court process is particularly brutal as the defense attorneys engage in victim shaming at its worst.”
And, even if she or any other victim were dressed in attire which some in society deem to be provocative, the victim said, “Again, the person responsible for rape is the rapist.”
“Rape is such an underreported crime due to attitudes like these, that women are at fault and deserve no compassion for the terrible crime they have endured.,” she stated.
One social media comment which was brought to the attention of OBSERVER media states, “I don’t condone any form of rape, but some of you dumb (derogatory word used to address women removed) call it on yourselves. For one yall always going out and drinking one tonne a alcohol then the next morning yall wake up in grass without any panties on. How then can a court determine if you got raped, when you cant even remember what exactly happened to you? Some of yall meet men on the Internet, then next thing you know you alone with them in hotel room. Yall on road corner begging ride then a car full a man pulls up and you jump in. Really. You (derogatory word used to address women deleted) need to get a clue!”
Several individuals expressed support for the comment.
The victim however noted, “Society does not hold men to the same standards as women as it relates to rape … The only person to blame for rape is the rapist.”
As it relates to how the incident has impacted her life, she said, “Every aspect of my life has been impacted; physically, mentally, and emotionally. It’s not something you just heal from like a broken arm. I was broken, but I am slowly trying to heal all those parts of me. It will continue to impact me for the rest of my life.”
She said she asking for the maximum penalty for her rapist Martin-Cramp “due to the many factors in the case” while she added, “I think it is underappreciated how devastating this crime is on a family.”
The victim, who was a foreign student in Antigua, was raped in her apartment by the officer who drugged her drink when she stepped out of the living room briefly before returning to watch a movie on Netflix with him.
The officer, who was visiting Antigua for a wedding, left the country shortly afterwards but the victim remained in contact with him so she could get him to admit to the act which she had reported to the police.
In one Whatsapp message, when she told him she had never had sex before and he forcibly took her virginity, he told her to pretend it never happened.
This was used as evidence at the trial in which the rapist was convicted.
The two had met on a dating app and had been in communication prior to meeting in person. The woman had, according to her testimony, told the man in advance of their date that she was not interested in meeting up for sex since she was not that kind of person.