I was extremely offended by Secretary for Security Lai Tung-kwok's suggestion that young girls drink less in order to prevent rape ("Security chief blasted for rape remark", May 16).
To place any responsibility on the victims instead of entirely on the perpetrator is a classic case of irrational victim blaming. Experts say only a fraction of rapes are reported: it is the same victim-blaming that leads to women being afraid to report such crimes. Mr Lai wrote on the Security Bureau website that Hong Kong prides itself on being a "free, open and secure society". A society where women are scared of reporting serious crimes does not fit any of those descriptors.
I expected a public apology but instead his office responded to my complaint via e-mail on May 15, saying that "the sole purpose [was] to highlight" how "the culprits took advantage of victims whose ability to protect themselves was reduced after drinking too much". His press secretary sent a modified version of this response to these columns ("No intention to put blame on rape victims", May 23). He issued another statement ("Security chief Lai Tung-kwok stops short of apology for rape remark", May 17) and managed to miss the point again by defending his intentions.
Neither statements address Mr Lai's word choice. The language we use has impact on society. Mr Lai needs to acknowledge this and publicly take responsibility for what he said. His words stung sexual assault victims and are a textbook example of what rape culture looks like - a culture where rape is excused, trivialised and perpetuated through what we say and do. For example, rape, like a robbery or a stabbing, does not happen "between" people as Mr Lai stated - it happens to people.
Every single one of the rape cases reported during the first three months of this year in Hong Kong involved someone that the victim knew. These rapists are our friends, our colleagues, our classmates, and our brothers, not random, deranged aggressors. We as a society, especially our leaders, should be teaching men not to rape, not teaching women how to avoid it.
There is already sexual assault training in place for the police force but it is clearly not enough. It should be improved and made mandatory for all Security Bureau staff - starting from the top.
