ONE BILLION RISING. Will you give your support to women across the planet on 14 February?

Most rapes are NOT of women in skimpy dresses, they are of wives and dates who said no - or would have done had they been able.

People bump into each other on public transport, at peak times. Mostly they apologise and try not to repeat it, but a surprising number of women have found themselves repeatedly pressed up against an obviously very male fellow passenger. "Don't make a fuss" is implicit in this situation - they will always blame the crowd, the lurching train, female hysteria, whatever is not their fault.

Frank, have you ever been in the company of rampant homosexuals talking dirty who scared you? Oh no, of course, you would punch them in the eye if they tried anything on, so you would not be bothered. Imagine instead that they were not only gay, but also 6ft 3" hyper-fit soldiers just back from a tour abroad and hungry for a bit of the other. Still no fear? Or would you leave as soon as possible and hope they were taking a different road to the station.

Frank Everyone is saying it is not just perverted strangers who attack women It could be the ordinary chap next door with the nice quiet wife, the teenager whose girl was just expecting an evening at the pictures and a bit of a cuddle and did not have the self-confidence (and muscle power) to call a halt, the twenty/thirty something who thought that a first date would be a romantic dinner followed by another couple of outings before it got really intimate, and found a wrestling match instead.

Dancing round the kitchen table will not do. They want you to walk out of work! (not that many of us on here do much are employed.

Hi

You can never judge men on their appearances.
When I got on the train once with my granddaughter 2 RAF men got on and must have been that tall.
They did start talking pleasently to my granddaughter and myself and gave her a couple of bags of chrisps and a couple of other bits of food and a drink. It was all sealed.
I was not worried as the carriage was nearly full.
They got off the train about half an hour later and went away happy and no harm was done.
They did think it was a pity they did not have anything more child friendly with them but obviously they did not expect to meet my granddaughter.

Frank

The carriage was nearly full.

Newspaper article.

'Boys will ask you every day until you say yes'

I hope you explained to your GD later that, although it was ok on that occasion as you were with her, she should never at any other time talk to strangers or accept gifts from them

I'm sure you did. But you do have to be careful with young children.

Frank, I haven't entered the conversation before, but I am puzzled by your response to a very serious issue. Please will you read this article and then come back and give us your response? It's quite long, but I would be interested to read your feedback after being informed a little better than it seems you are now.

Are we sure that HunterF condones rape? I very much doubt that he does!

He does not condone it, jings but he thinks that it does not happen very often, and it is only perverted and demented nutters who do it, and that women bring it on themselves by their clothes and behaviour, and could avoid it. Most of the replies are trying to make him admit that men should learn how to avoid rape situations too.

Perhaps we should close down the late night clubs, cos they all tumble out of those drunk - women and men alike!

Young people need educating in the dangers of over-drinking. And examples set by their elders.

I think the Billion campaign is aimed more at India and third world countries. On the whole in this country, it is treated very seriously by the law.

The campaign is global Jingle and was started befire the recent terrible events in India.

Butty put a link up when Ruby Wax joined the campaign about 4/5 months ago.

Frank you are getting increasingly incoherent. Are you OK?

Jess that's a mean thing to say. And something you very easily chuck out at people.

" people do bump into each other in exercise classes but women do bump into women and I have had women bump into me by going the wrong way. I have knocked into women but I have never done any injury"

Sounds fun!

But not at all incoherent.

I think I've mixed the threads up.

roflmao

How did that happen?

jingl, the law may, as you say, be strict on sexual offences in this country, but the campaign isn't aimed at changing the law (not here, anyway) but also attitudes to women both here and worldwide.

Yes, the law lays down what actions you can be prosecuted for. Attitudes are harder to legislate for.

j07 You are very sadly misinformed if you believe that the law in this country [UK] "takes rape very seriously". Women don't report it for fear of disbelief; policemen don't record it because they think they won't get a conviction so it doesn't count towards their targets; courts don't convict because jurors believe myths about it. There are thousands of female victims in this country who have never seen and will never see justice for the terrible assaults that they have suffered.

Seems a bit hard on employers if people in this country walk out of their work over something that is happening in other countries. Like I say, rape is despised in this country and victims already have recourse to the law.

I think things have improved in recent times.

Improved a little j but where have you been living? The conviction rates are a joke.