Rape: a question of consent

Men are warned against taking advantage of a drunk woman

Men are being warned today that they must get proper consent for sex, or they risk going to jail for rape.

The aim is to reduce the number of sex assaults - especially those which occur when a woman is very drunk.

The government's spending £400,000 on an advertising campaign, in lads' mags, pub toilets and on commercial radio, which it hopes will get the message across to the 18 to 24 age group.

The message will be: it's up to the man to make sure the woman consents to sex

This morning on Breakfast:

We talked live to the Home Office Minister who's masterminding the campaign, Fiona McTaggart.

"We need to remind young men that they have a responsibility and they can help keep women safe," she told us.

"It's a way of saying to men: you're potentially the perpetrator - it's not the victim's fault. It's take responsibility.

What you told Breakfast Why should it be down to the man to get consent?I think it is grossly unfair that men are always the one to blame. It should be the female's job to make it clear that she doesn't want to go ahead with sex.. Jake Ryde, 17 It is about time that the blame for rape is put back where it belongs - at the man's door. After all the coverage about drunk women inviting rape, it is about time it is clearly stated that whatever state a woman is in, rape is wrong Maggie, London Read more viewers' comments on our Your Say page

"This is to make sure that men do not slide into irresponsible behaviour."

We discussed whether the campaign is unfair to men, with the Cosmopolitan journalist Rachel Mostyn and legal campaigner Stephen Cooper.

"Up to this point, it's been al about women and personal safety, " Rachel told us. "If men can understand that no does not mean a challenge, that's good."

Stephen, who campaigns for men unfairly accused of rape also believes that a woman must give clear consent. He told us:

"I think a lady's incapable of giving consent if she's drunk."

We also asked what you think.

Many of you were scathing about what you saw as government attempts to meddle in private lives. Some of you also felt it was time that

Posters like this will appear in pubs and clubs

Legislation

The new law also offers protection to victims of so-called date rape drugs, and the issue of what consent means has now been given a clearer legal definition.

Victims of rape often blame themselves for an attack, and gathering evidence for a conviction can be extremely difficult.

And, research by the campaigning grour Amnesty International last year found that up to a third of people believe that women's own flirtatious behaviour may be at least partially to blame in rape cases.

The Home Office says that conviction rates for rape incidents reached an all time low of 5.6% in 2002.

There are now more specialist help centres - but last year only 5.8% of all reported rapes resulted in a conviction.

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If you've been a victim of rape, there are several organisations which can help, including Victim Support:
0845 30 30 900

More helplines and advice from the BBC online website

All sexual offences now apply equally to males and females of any sexual orientation.

The advice from the Home Office is simple: if you think you've been a victim of rape, do contact you local police station, and make sure you speak to victim support