Young Australians have no sympathy for sexually abused victims

MELBOURNE - A survey has found that an alarming number of Australian youth do not have sympathy towards victims of sexual abuse, with some even saying the victim asked for it.

The survey was commissioned by the Department of Women as part of a social marketing campaign promoting respectful relationships among Australia’s youth, News.com.au reported.

The research carried out on more than 2000 people between the ages of 12 to 24 found that teenagers experiencing their first relationships are often confused about what is and isn’t appropriate.

It found that almost one in five youths think a female should not be able to claim she was sexually assaulted if she was drunk or drug-affected and leading people on.

Almost one in six thinks that if a female is wearing provocative clothing she is “definitely looking for it”, and the same number of people think that pushing and shoving in a relationship is understandable in some circumstances.

Facebook, text messaging and spreading Lara Bingle-style intimate pictures of women will be the focus of The Line campaign.

Tanya Plibersek, the Minister for the Status of Women, will launch the 17 million dollars, four-year campaign in an effort to reduce the incidence of violence, with particular attention paid to social and online media.

It is estimated to reach 2.5 million Australians, including nearly a million teenagers in its first 10 days of operation.

The minister and recording artists Lisa Mitchell, Maya Jupiter, and Pez and Tenielle Muslin will launch it. (ANI)