Child Abduction and Rape - Similar Crime, Different Reaction

I was going to post this OT comment over at Free Range Kids, but, I couldn't hit submit out of respect for Lenore's blog and her readers.  She is doing important work in combating the war on childhood, so I can't bring up such a contentious issue as rape of women that could derail the conversation and hurt her campaign.

The differences between the crimes of childhood abductions and rape of women are many and complex as are the reasons for different public response.  One reason is that there is no childrenism movement or such counterpart to feminism.  There are only child advocates who do not necessarilly have the interest of children in mind as much as they do the interest of their own agenda.  I won't go into the others here as there is not enough time.

The comment I couldn't post:

Lenore, good post about a terrible event.


What astounds me, is that any suggestions to women that they should moderate their behaviour to help them reduce the risk of becoming victims of rape - such as dressing appropriately for the situation, avoiding dark alleys and not drinking too much at parties - is called "victim blaming" and hateful and results in marches and protests.

However, telling parents that their behaviour is the only reason for childhood abductions and murders is perfectly ok. Why do some victims completely bear responsibility for the criminal acts performed against them, while others are completely free of it?

Lenore, I'm sorry to bring up a separate, even more contentious issue on your site, but I can't help but see the similarity between the two crimes and the disparity between the reactions.

UPDATE:  for a full discussion of my opinions on this issue and a response to some misguided comments at another blog, please see this post .  Suffice to say, I'm not a creep and I don't hate women.