‘One thing leads to another.’ (Picture: Youtube/CARE Norway)

Rape culture starts in the smallest actions.

A ‘joke’ made to your friends. Staring at a woman until she uncomfortably tugs down her skirt. Letting it slide when someone at work says something sexist.

It’s also in inaction. Not calling people out. Ignoring the problem. Failing to support a victim when she comes forward.

As a new video from CARE Norway shows, each tiny thing can contribute to a society where rape, sexual assault, and domestic violence happen on a daily basis.


To hammer that idea home, the #DearDaddy video shows the consequences of those tiny actions and inactions, all happening to one man’s daughter.

Yes, it’s a little annoying that we still have to frame rape in terms of happening to someone’s daughter or mother – rather than just ‘rape is a horrible thing, even when it happens to someone you don’t know’ – but the five minute video is pretty powerful.



Because if you’re a dad, you can do all you can to protect your daughter.

You can make sure her mum stays safe (and doesn’t eat sushi).

But by the time she’s 14, she’ll already have been called a bitch or a whore.

She may feel pressured into sex, and do something she doesn’t want to.

She may be raped.

And given that 1 in 3 women worldwide will experience physical or sexual violence in their lifetime, usually from a male partner, she may find herself in an abusive relationship.

It’s not about fear-mongering, suggesting that all men are bad, or the idea that if you make one mistake, your daughter will be hurt.

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video

But what the video shows is that – while it’s impossible for one man to completely protect his daughter from violence – you can take steps towards making the world a safer place for women overall.

MORE: 13 things women in their 20s are tired of hearing

MORE: This woman is receiving rape threats for refusing to smile on command

MORE: Artist creates an anti-rape cloak to protest victim blaming

Advertisement Advertisement