As Care2 follows the aftermath of CBS's Lara Logan's sexual assault and beating in Egypt, the normalcy of victim blaming surrounding sexual assaults against women became even more clear to me as I came across yet another example.

At Osgoode Hall Law School at York University in Canada, a Toronto Police Service officer suggested women could avoid sexual assault by not dressing like a "slut."
"I've been told I'm not supposed to say this," said the officer, "however, women should avoid dressing like sluts in order not to be victimized."

The remark was made at a campus safety information session where officers handed out safety tips to community members. Some safety tip.

Osgoode assistant dean of the Juris Doctor Program said he was "shocked and appalled" about the comments and contacted the police for a written apology.

The police officer in question, Const. Michael Sanguinetti, has since apologized saying he is "embarrassed" by what he said, adding that assaulted women are "not victims by choice."

"I made a comment which was poorly thought out and did not reflect the commitment of the Toronto Police Service to the victims of sexual assaults," said Sanguinetti in an email apology sent to the school. "Violent crimes such as sexual assaults can have a traumatizing effect on their victims...My comment was hurtful in this respect."

Not Victims By Choice
Linking a woman's clothing to sexual assault is just one of the many ways women are blamed for sexual assaults that are never their choice.

When a police officer offers "not dressing like a slut" as advice to keep women safe, he is directly placing the blame on her while taking the responsibility away from the perpetrator - the person who committed the crime.

These kinds of remarks also make it incredibly difficult for women to come forward after they've been attacked. Women shouldn't be second guessing their choice of wardrobe after being raped or sexually assaulted. They should be seeking help and justice - something they won't do if they feel like what happened was their fault.
 

Related Links:

U.S. Police Buy Military Drones

FBI COUNTER TERRORISM ANALYTICAL LEXICON PDF

U.A.F.F. Police Crimes Watch Page