READERS
SPEAKOUT
Rape Outcry & Language that Disempowers, 5
June 2007
From: "Sudent Name" < > Sent: Thursday, May 31, 2007 9:37 PM > Subject: Rape Outcry
With the help of S2 Websolutions, I
have recently created a website for Rape Outcry - an anti-rape awareness
campaign and research project I am running at my local university in
South Africa. I've made a link to your site from mine and so was hoping
that you would do the same. Please check the site out at:
www.rapeoutcry.co.za
If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact
me.Thank you for your time.
Regards,
Jenna-Lee Procter
SpeakOut!
Jenna Lee
We think your site is for the most part very good, congratulations.
BUT you refer to rape survivors as victims - and that in itself is
disempowering victimising language. We would like to respectfully ask
you to change that language use - we consider those who are dead
victims, but not those who are alive and trying to overcome a serious
event. If you have doubts about how demeaning the term "victim" is we
suggest you consult a dictionary. You can't say yours is a website is
one that wants to help when continued use of inappropriate language
disempowers.