Women cop blame (again) for sex assault

This article was published in The Sydney Morning Herald 7 October 2010

No men, including footballers, are entitled to sex with drunk women.

Women ask to be raped. Women fabricate rape allegations to assuage guilt. Rape victims are sluts and strays. These are some of the attitudes that have been unearthed this week following a police investigation into sexual assault allegations made by a 20-year-old woman.

The woman alleges she was the victim of a sexual assault involving a number of men, including two Collingwood players. The incident was said to have occurred in South Melbourne on Sunday morning, just hours after Collingwood defeated St Kilda in the grand final rematch.

While the accused must be presumed innocent until proved otherwise, cases such as this highlight problems in broader community attitudes towards sex, consent and women.