A recent survey shows a quarter of Scots think that a raped woman is partially responsible for her assault if she is a bit tipsy or wearing sexy clothes. Additionally, nearly one in five Scots surveyed believe rape can be a woman’s fault if she is known to have had several sexual partners.

In response to this ignorant victim blaming, Rape Crisis Scotland has developed a series of ads showing a scantily clad female and bearing the slogan “This is not an invitation to rape me.”

It is the latest initiative to try to improve Scotland’s rape conviction rate which, at 3.9%, is one of the lowest in Europe.

Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill said there was an urgent need to bring public attitudes into the 21st century.

“It is hard to believe that in a modern Scotland there are people who still think that if a woman is dressed in a certain way or has been drinking it’s her own fault if she is raped,” he added.

“Similarly, people who believe that a woman can’t be raped by her husband, or someone else she knows, are wrong. A person doesn’t have to use physical force to make it rape. We need to make sure that is clear.” [BBC]

For more on Rape Crisis Scotland visit http://www.rapecrisisscotland.org.uk

For info on rape crisis assistance in the US visit http://www.rainn.org