A woman was left furious after overhearing an elderly passenger say ‘no wonder they get raped’ as she walked past her on a train.
Daniella Rakhdoune, 21, from Rustington, West Sussex, boarded a train to Brighton last weekend to meet a friend.
For her evening out, the drama student opted to wear a white mini skirt and leopard print off-shoulder crop top.
As she took a seat on the train, Daniella says a pensioner – who she thinks was aged between 70-80 – looked her outfit and said to her husband: ‘No wonder they get raped.’
The student explained: ‘I sat there for two minutes wondering if it was aimed at me. The train was quiet and I thought it had to be aimed at me. I felt awful and disgusted.
Pictured: Daniella Rakhdoune, 21, from Rustington, West Sussex, seen on board the train from Littlehampton to Brighton last weekend
‘You can’t comprehend that someone’s mind works like that, especially a woman. For a second, I wondered if I should have dressed differently and covered up.’
After a few minutes had passed, Daniella decided to confront the elderly woman and secretly filmed the exchange.
In the clip, Daniella opens the conversation with: ‘When you said, “there’s no wonder why they get raped”, I hope you weren’t talking about me.”
The passenger then replied: ‘You girlies walk around with very little clothes on, looking beautiful.
‘These men, they look at you and they want to be with you.’
Daniella then goes on to stress how she should be able to wear whatever she wants – but the elderly woman said: ‘You don’t take care of herself and cover up a little bit. That’s what worries me.’
The student then said: ‘Well, I think what the worry is, is the man if they feel like they should rape someone. It’s nothing to do with me.’
‘Well not all men are like that,’ the woman told her. ‘They don’t think the same way as us. You just have to be very careful.’
Daniella (pictured) said of the woman’s remark: ‘For a second, I wondered if I should have dressed differently and covered up’
Pictured: the leopard print crop top and white skirt Daniella wore for her evening out in Brighton last Saturday
Daniella then ends the conversation by saying: ‘I guess it’s your generation, isn’t it?’
The student – who moved into another carriage afterwards – continued: ‘As soon as she said it I got my phone out, I thought it couldn’t just be me that heard this. She wasn’t embarrassed. She stuck to her guns.
‘She said that people like me have to cover up to protect ourselves and that it worries her when there are rapists out there.
‘What’s worrying is the rapists, not how I dress. She said not all men have that mindset. It felt like she was saying that if something were to happen to me, I would have deserved it.
‘Her husband didn’t say a word. I sat there for a bit but then I moved carriage. I was a bit self-conscious after that.
‘I was concerned about what I was wearing. I didn’t want people to think that I wanted attention. I spoke to my sister and she told me not to let this woman have power over ruining my evening.’
After a few minutes had passed, Daniella (pictured) decided to confront the elderly woman and secretly filmed the exchange
Daniella (pictured) ended the conversation with the pensioner by saying: ‘I guess it’s your generation, isn’t it?’
After posting the video on TikTok, Daniella was met with support from viewers.
One said: ‘You’re such a brave young lady. You are eloquent and strong and handled this so well.’
Another added: ‘This was so brave of you truly. It’s honestly empowering to see you confront her like that right then and there. I know I wouldn’t have been able to.’
Daniella said: ‘People in the comments have been saying I should have said this or that and some people said I was too calm but I was in shock and I didn’t think responding like that would have resolved anything.
‘I can’t put into words how unacceptable it is. The blame would never be on the victim. I shouldn’t ever have to go out wearing something I don’t want to wear. I’m never going to do that.’
If you’ve been affected by any of the issues in this story, Women’s Aid provides free, anonymous support via email or live chat.
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