A series of controversial anti-rape posters, which raised concerns amongst students across the University, have now been taken down.
One poster was spotted by a fresher on a college staircase, leading to its prompt removal. Another, in the reception area of the St Aldates Police Station, has also been withdrawn.
Student feminists have accused the campaign of promoting the view that rape occurs as a consequence of women drinking on nights out rather than as an unprovoked criminal act.
One Exeter student commented, “In certain campaigns there is a disproportionate obsession with how victims behave, contrasted with a reluctance to lay blame clearly on the rapists. Victim blaming is partly responsible for the fact that rape is under-reported and so little is done about it. The posters in Oxford sent out the message that it’s fine for Oxford male students to get drunk and party, but irresponsible for women to do the same.”
Thames Valley Police stated, “This poster was originally part of an alcohol awareness campaign encouraging people not to buy alcohol for under-18s. It is not our intention to cause alarm or distress with any of the messages that we display in our police stations – we only ever attempt to show potential victims how to avoid becoming vulnerable. We will remove the poster that has caused concern from public view.”
