Rape Crisis has hit out at Germaine Greer for saying that rape is just ‘bad sex’ and that rapists should have ‘R’ tattooed on their cheek instead of being jailed.
The charity said the comments, made at Hay Literary Festival, ‘do nothing to improve justice or reduce sexual violence’.
Greer, who was raped at a party days before she turned 19, also said that most rape doesn’t ‘involve any injury whatsoever’.
Katie Russell, as a spokesperson for Rape Crisis England & Wales: ‘If penetrating another person’s body without their consent is not an act of violence, what is?
‘Rape is an inherently violent crime, regardless of whether visible external injuries are sustained.
‘Through our 40+ years’ frontline experience of listening to and supporting women and girls who’ve been raped, we know it often has long-lasting and wide-ranging impacts, including post-traumatic stress symptoms and Disorder.
‘Many of those we work with don’t identify as victims or ‘rapees’ but as survivors, of an horrific and unjust experience but one that they choose not to let define them.
‘But they have undoubtedly been victims of a very serious crime and we use each individual’s preferred language to talk about what they’ve been through.
‘Regardless of how those who’ve been raped identify, we listen to, believe, support and respect them.
‘The criminal justice system already routinely lets them down.
‘Reducing sentences or declassifying crimes would do nothing to improve justice or reduce sexual violence.’
During her appearance at the festival, Greer told an audience: ‘We are told it’s one of the most violent crimes in the world – bullshit.’
She went on: ‘Most rape is just lazy, just careless, just insensitive. ‘Every time a man rolls over on his exhausted wife and insists on enjoying his conjugal right, he is raping her.
It will never end up in a court of law. ‘Instead of thinking of rape as a spectacularly violent crime – and some rapes are – think about it as non-consensual, that is, bad sex.
‘Sex where there is no communication, no tenderness, no mention of love.’
In March this year, Greer was accused of victim-blaming after calling alleged victims of Harvey Weinstein ‘career rapees’.
She also said the #MeToo movement had not been effective: ‘I don’t actually think it’s gone too far, I don’t think its got anywhere at all.
What we need is to sort out the law regarding rape and to sort out our concept of what it is. ‘It’s pointless now bringing up this stuff when most of it no action can be taken. Why wait 20 years?’
Germaine Greer's controversial statements Other statements made during her Today programme appearance:
Allegations ‘wreck lives’: ‘The amount of legal muscle that will be used to defend these people is massive and I’m concerned for damage limitation rather than maximasation.
‘Rather than wrecking people’s lives, so they become career rapees.’
Non-disclosure agreements: ‘Some [alleged victims] have been paid six figure sums in the form of non-disclosure agreements.
‘That’s a dishonorable thing to accept and it’s not something you should boast about.’
#MeToo doesn’t work: ‘I don’t actually think it’s gone too far, I don’t think its got anywhere at all.
‘What we need is to sort out the law regarding rape and to sort out our concept of what it is.’
Historic allegations ‘pointless’: ‘It’s pointless now bringing up this stuff when most of it no action can be taken.
‘Why wait 20 years?’
What she would have done: ‘I wouldn’t have been sitting around being quiet and keeping a secret.’
