EDMONTON – Edmonton radio station 630 CHED posted an online poll on Thursday morning asking people to vote on whether or not victims are ever to blame for sexual assaults.
The original poll asked “It’s very controversial but do you think victims of sexual assaults share any blame for what happens?”
The two response options were “NO – women should be able to dress, drink and walk as they choose without fear of being blamed” and “YES – if women drink too much, dress too little or walk in harms way they put themselves at risk.”
The radio station also tweeted out the poll question.
The poll question has sparked a lot of attention online, including comments from two Alberta ministers.
“This is one of the reasons why victims often go unnoticed and unreported,” said Minister Lukaszuk, “because they’re made to believe that they’re complicit, that they somehow brought it upon themselves… That’s not acceptable.”
“It’s disgusting that that question would even be asked,” said Minister Denis. “We should not be in the business of blaming victims. Our role as a government is to support victims.”
NDP MLA Rachel Notley echoed those concerns.
“It’s very concerning to me that anyone would think that there is even a question to be asked about whether a woman who is a victim of sexual assault asked for it. To me that is utterly ridiculous. The courts have long since said that that kind of consideration is irrelevant and I think that people need to be reminded of that.”
“It is a tremendously disappointing step backwards for anyone to think that it is still a debate.”
The poll was later changed to ask “A #yeg panel on rape culture says victim blaming is still an issue. Do you think victims of sexual assaults share any blame for what happens?”
The responses stayed the same.
Just before noon, 630 CHED took to the airwaves to apologize for the poll question.
“After a series of meetings, we have just posted the following at 630 CHED on our account,” said host Dan Tancer. “The tweet reads: ‘We’re sorry. This morning we tweeted a poll that lacked context. That was wrong, and people are understandably upset. Here’s the story that formed the basis of the question based on the #yeg secret panel discussion.’”
The station’s Program Manager Syd Smith also made a statement on the show.
“I am sorry, as a person responsible for the programming of the radio station not only on air but online.”
“What we did – and the tweet that we sent out – was wrong,” said Smith.
“That question, void of context, would make me angry, coming from our station or another media outlet.”
Listen to the full apology here.
A second apology was posted a couple of hours later on the site, and the amended poll was removed.
Smith issued the same statement in person later Thursday afternoon.
“630 CHED apologizes for the poll that was posted earlier today. It was inappropriate and people are understandably upset by it. It has been removed. Please be assured that we can and will do better in the future.”
Several Edmontonians explored the problems around sexual violence in Edmonton Wednesday night. A panel discussion was held on exploring rape culture and how it’s often excused or minimized in society.
READ MORE: Panel explores issues around sexual violence in Edmonton
“We need to be doing a much better job educating young people on the rules around consent and… what are good ways to communicate about sex,” said Lise Gotell, Chair of Women’s and Gender Studies at the University of Alberta.
“I think that these are really important steps in eradicating rape culture. We’re not doing a very good job with young people in educating around sexual consent and sexual communication.”
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