American tennis star Serena Williams has sparked outrage with her comments about a teenage rape victim, saying that the victim was 'drunk' and 'maybe...not a virgin'.
In an excerpt from Rolling Stone magazine, Williams criticised a 16-year-old girl who was raped by two football players, her fellow school students, while she was drunk, in Ohio in August 2012, News.com.au reports.
According to the World No. 1, the rapists were unjustly punished, adding that the girl should have been taught by her parents not to accept drinks from other people, as the case could have been much worse than it was.
Stating that the girl should not drunk so much to put herself in that position, Williams further said that the girl may not have been a virgin, although she admitted that the culprits might have slipped a drug into her drink.
Blasting Williams' comments as 'disgusting' and 'shocking', Rape and Domestic Violence Services Australia's executive officer Karen Willis said that there is never any excuse to condone violence against rape victims, adding that she expected more from a person in a position of influence like Williams.
Although Willis accepted that there are health and legal concerns about a 16-year-old teenager drinking, she, however, said that such a mistake never warranted or deserved punishment by sexual violence, adding that the boys zoned in on a vulnerable girl and to suggest anything otherwise is irresponsible.
However, Willis admitted that Williams' is not alone in her views that drinking or being drunk exposes a victim to violent behaviour, adding that there was a view by some people that if women were drinking at the time of the attack, they left themselves open to risk, which is one of the reason why sexual assault continues to be perpetrated and go unreported.
Williams' comments also generated a slew of protests on Twitter.
The explosive Williams had last year launched an explosive tirade at an umpire during her title decider against Sam Stosur at Flushing Meadows.
In 2009, the tennis ace allegedly threatened to kill a lineswoman in New York, threatening the official with: "If I could I would take this f***ing ball and shove it down your f***ing throat" during a US Open meltdown, the report added.
