Clothing has always been a controversial issue when it comes to sexual assault. An exhibition in Brussels in trying to debunk this notion by displaying clothes worn by rape victims at the time they were attacked.
Brussels: Have you noticed how every time someone shares an account of sexual harassment, fingers are pointed and questions are asked about what they were wearing?
Clothing has always been a controversial topic when it comes to sexual assault with many trying to pin the blame on the victim by alluding that their outfit was 'asking for it'. Seeking to dispel this horrific notion, an exhibition, titled Is it my fault?, in Brussels has displayed clothes worn by rape victims at the time they were attacked and the images will shock you.
From track pants to full-sleeved shirts, the clothes will make you think hard about victim-shaming especially a My Little Pony t-shirt which belonged to a child.
¿Cómo ibas vestida?
40 historias de contra
Le Centre Communautaire Maritime pic.twitter.com/kRffuxpqXY
The victim support group CAW’s education and support worker Liesbeth Kennis told VRT Radio 1’s De ochtend, "What you immediately notice is that these are all very normal items that anyone would wear and not extreme latex suits. There is even a child’s My Little Pony t-shirt in the exhibition. This too is the harsh reality. Most rape victims remember exactly what they were wearing when the wear attacked.”
Called, “What were you wearing?” the exhibit at the Centre Communautaire Maritime in Brussels features replicated clothing items similar to those worn by real victims of sexual assault, and attempts to disprove the myth that provocative clothing incites rape. pic.twitter.com/TP2jcPEc3L
— Живче 🌷 (@Zivce_Ivanova)Closer home, the situation is the same. Not only relatives or family members but even elected representatives of the country choose to make inappropriate comments about rape and sexual assault. For instance when the politician and member of the Maharashtra Women's Rights Commission Asha Mirge had said of the gruesome Nirbhaya rape case in New Delhi, "Did Nirbhaya really have to go to watch a movie at 11 in the night with her friend? Take the Shakti Mills gang-rape case. Why did the (survivor) go to such an isolated spot at 6 pm? Rapes take place also because of a woman's clothes, her behaviour and her being at inappropriate places."
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