On air: Can rape ever be the victim’s fault?

Heba: Since this blog topic  first appeared on our blog on Monday, the number of voices weighing into the debate has grown right round the world here, here and here.

Should you be held responsible for actions of your family?

New York Times Jerusalem bureau chief, Ethan Bronner, is in the eye of a ‘mini-blog storm’ as this blogger has put it.

His 20 year old son has signed up to the Israeli Defence Force, and this has led to some people calling for Bronner to be reassigned.

On air: Can a woman’s behaviour make her more vulnerable to rape?

Earlier this week, media attention was drawn to a British rape victim who was due to receive 25% less compensation because she had been drinking before she was raped. In her case, the verdict was overturned. The Ministry of Justice has since said that “a victim of rape is not in any way culpable due to alcohol consumption”. But 14 other rape victims in the UK during the last year had their compensation reduced because they had been drinking.

So can the way a woman behaves be a factor in rape? Are women “inviting” rape by the way they dress or act? If a woman signals in some way that she’s available, does that mean she’s “asking for it”, or is this just an excuse?