London: An Oxford University student allegedly raped near her family’s home in north London earlier this month has struck back with an open letter to her attacker in which she refuses to change her behaviour or to become a victim. The 20-year-old victim waived her right to anonymity with ‘A Letter to my Assaulter’, saying that she refuses to change her behaviour or to become a victim.
She said that her unnamed assailant, who has been charged with serious sexual assault, had not shaken her faith in community and that there were more good people than bad in the world.
She wrote in the university's ‘Cherwell’ student newspaper to launch its #NotGuilty campaign, which aims to emphasise that assault is never a product of the victim, their choices, their clothing or their neighbourhood. She recalled the horror, which happened as she walked home from an underground station in the early hours of April 11, and told her attacker: “This is a fight you will not win”.
Rebecca Watson, co-editor of the paper's lifestyle section, told The Times: The #NotGuilty campaign felt only natural to begin after the article, which was so strongly about community. “Whether one experiences assault, or wishes to supply positive thinking, it's really important to take part,” Watson said. Scotland Yard confirmed that the student's 17-year-old attacker had been arrested and is due to appear in court on May 6.
