Who are we?

We are Slut Means Speak Up, a campaign launched at Slutwalk London to tell the world that rape is never, ever the fault of the victim.

Join us on Facebook: link

What do we do?

We will be organising protests, speaking up against victim-blaming wherever we see/hear it, and giving you a platform to share your experiences and ideas.

What is Slutwalk?

Slutwalk is the radical notion that nobody deserves to be raped.

On 24th January 2011, a Toronto policeman told a group of law students that in order to avoid being raped ‘women should avoid dressing like sluts’.

This sparked outrage around the globe, with sluts and allies from Chicago to Amsterdam standing up and saying that we have had ENOUGH of being victimised and labelled, speaking out for freedom, equality and fun and saying that nobody gets to tell us how to be women.

Not only was this a ridiculous and inaccurate statement (women wearing trousers get raped. So do women wearing tracksuits, t-shirts, jeans, jumpers, skiing jackets and burqas), it was incredibly damaging to women around the world, painting them as perpetrators - rather than victims - of a disgusting, violent crime. In addition, it completely erased the experiences of the millions of brave, strong women who have survived rape and sexual assault - painting them as human beings unworthy of respect.

Sadly, this is not a single, isolated incident. All over the world, women are constantly made to feel like victims, told they should not look a certain way, should not go out at night, should not go into certain areas, should not get drunk, should not wear high heels or make up, should not be alone with someone they don’t know. Not only does this divert attention away from the real cause of the crime - the perpetrator - but it creates a culture where rape is OK, where it’s allowed to happen… after all, she must have been asking for it, right?

NO. Let’s raise our voices and tell the world that rape is never, ever OK. Not if she was wearing a miniskirt. Not if she was naked. Not if she was your wife, girlfriend or friend. Not if she was a prostitute. Not if she was drunk. Not if you thought she wanted to.

Let’s end a culture of fear and victimisation. No means No - but rather than saying no, let’s say YES. Yes to wearing what you want, going where you want with who you want and being able to express your personal sexuality in whichever way you please. Yes to having a great time without being scared that every man you meet is going to assault you. Yes to love, fun and respect.

We believe that rape is always the fault of the rapist, never the survivor. And until that attitude is held globally, we will continue to speak up.