Men Targeted In Anti-Rape Campaign

An advertising campaign aimed at young men has been launched by police as part of a campaign to tackle rape.

The advert, which will only be broadcast after the 9pm watershed on television but will also feature in cinemas and online, aims to highlight the message that sex without consent is rape.

It is targeted at 16 to 27-year-old men as more than one third of rapes reported in Scotland are carried out by this group.

In addition, staff in some pubs and clubs are undergoing bystander training'' which helps them recognise when they could intervene to prevent someone becoming the victim of a sexual assault.

Police Scotland Chief Constable Sir Stephen House launched the latest phase of the We Can Stop It campaign at the Butterfly and Pig bar in Glasgow today, where he watched staff undergo the training.

He said: Sex without consent is rape. There are no excuses. If someone is drunk or drugged, they cannot give consent. We Can Stop It sends a very clear message - we can and we must prevent rape and sexual assault.

Police Scotland is working closely with partners to raise awareness and tackle the life-changing impact of sexual crime. We must do all we can to prevent rape and sexual assault, alongside offering all the necessary support and protection to those who are victims of sexual assaults.

The number of people coming forward to report rape is increasing, which is a positive sign that victims are becoming more confident in coming forward, knowing their report will be thoroughly investigated.

But we know that this is an under-reported crime. We want to encourage people to come forward and to report. Let me be very clear, we will listen and we will act.

Our ultimate aim though, with our partners, is preventing these crimes in the first place and this campaign contributes to that work.''

During 2014/15, Police Scotland recorded 1,797 rapes, an increase of 91 (5.3%) on the previous year. The detection rate was 74%.

Last year, Rape Crisis reported that it had seen a 35% increase in the number of victims going on to report to the police.

The campaign, which will run from this month until next March, will cost nearly £80,000 and will include the TV/cinema/digital ad, digital advertising and posters in wash rooms.

Sandy Brindley, national co-ordinator of Rape Crisis Scotland, said: Rape Crisis Scotland strongly supports the development of this campaign, which directly targets potential perpetrators of rape.

The law is clear - sex without consent is rape, but we need to do much more to increase public awareness around this issue.

The new advert can play an important part in making sure people, particularly young people, are clear about what rape actually is and that it can have serious consequences.''

The bystander training, which is part of Police Scotland's preventative approach, aims to help bar staff recognise situations where someone may be vulnerable and give them guidance on how to intervene safely, such as by checking the person is all right and with friends, or calling the police if need be.

Chief Inspector Graham Goulden, bystander trainer at the Violence Reduction Unit, said: It's great to see those who work in pubs and clubs showing this willingness to see their role in the prevention of this crime.

As bystanders we all have the potential to prevent any incident from escalating. By doing nothing we are telling offenders their behaviour is okay and victims they're on their own. This just isn't right.

We want to make sure society starts to focus their attention on the men who do this rather than focusing on whether a victim had been drinking. We will never stop this if we continue to focus on victims.''