“Rape Victim in ZA” by Julian Trinidad Gardea a/k/a Julian Scorpio (2016) (CC BY-SA 4.0 International)
There are larger issues than crime raised, in the context of hotel security.
Why are women so often victimized by men, both in hotels and elsewhere? Why does God allow rape and other acts of violence against women? What are rape victims to make of God’s promises of security? Has He abandoned them?
A. Violence Against Women
The relationship between men and women is complex and culturally varied. It has though been impacted by sin the world over.
While there are countless good men, who would never think of harming a woman, there are rapists, murderers, and others who take pleasure in doing just that. Men who vent their frustrations on women, who bully and berate women, who use and desert even the mothers of their children.
B. Gender Inequality
Many such men do not recognize their actions as evil. They define women – all women, including their own mothers – as less worthy than men. In effect, less human than men.
This inequality is re-enforced to varying degrees by restrictions on the activities women may undertake outside the home, diminished opportunities for women regarding education and advancement in a given society, the treatment of women by the courts, and the stigma imposed by varying religions on women who violate such norms [1][2].
But the inequality between men and women is not of God’s making.
C. Choice
God allows human beings to choose between good and evil. Crime and immorality are side-effects of our freedom of choice. God could as easily have denied us that gift, mandating our devotion.
D. Comfort
“He heals the brokenhearted And binds up their wounds” (Ps. 147: 3).
God loves us beyond measure (John 3: 16). When we are hurt, He is hurt. Hurting us in order to hurt God is Satan’s strategy, in a nutshell.
Rather than abandoning us, however, God comforts and rescues us. Like the Good Samaritan in the parable, He binds up our wounds and makes us again whole.
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[1] In the United States, for instance, women could not vote until passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920. As of 2015, women’s wages were still 80% those of men. Jobs traditionally held by men tend to pay better. Time away from work for childrearing impacts, as well. See, American Association of University Women (AAUW), “The Simple Truth about the Gender Pay Gap”, 2017 Edition, http://www.aauw.org/aauw_check/pdf_download/show_pdf.php?file=The-Simple-Truth.
[2] Saudi Arabia just lifted its ban against women drivers this year. See, New York Times, “Saudi Arabia Agrees to Let Women Drive” by Ben Hubbard, 9/26/17, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/26/world/middleeast/saudi-arabia-women-drive.html.
The Harvey Weinstein scandal has been discussed at length on social media. The list of powerful men who have sexually harassed women is long and shameful.
To excuse such behavior as uninformed or a product of the times is inadequate. To blame it on “inner demons” is specious. Power corrupts. The behavior happened because it was tolerated.
We should all take heed.
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ANNA WALDHERR A Voice Reclaimed, Surviving Child Abuse 
Men who behave like this must think they can get away with it, and I think our culture has blurred the boundary between acceptable and unacceptable behavior. Speaking against something as a reaction is one thing. Living in accordance with our words is another. Young boys are being negatively acculturated in modern society.
Yes, how we raise our sons is vitally important.
Amen to that, Anna…sending you thanks, light, and love, my friend…thanks for sharing 🙂
Whilst it is important to raise our children to value and respect each other, I think it is also equally important not to tolerate sexual harassment of any kind. It’s not the raising of ‘sons’ here that is the problem – it is allowing the wielding of power by those who believe that they are superior, and that they cannot be challenged to prevent those who have been affected from speaking out to remain silent and to suffer the effects of this behaviour. Those who believe that they will get away with sexual harassment, rape and violence will continue to do so, no matter how well they have been raised, in my opinion. With the Weinstein case, I don’t think his parents would feel that they had not raised him properly. One son feels that raping women is acceptable, and his brother is horrified by that brother’s behaviour.
Anna, I think you are absolutely correct when you say: ” Power corrupts. The behaviour happened because it was tolerated”.
I always value your input, Marie. Thank you for adding your voice.
When I traveled on business I came in contact with many women in my travels. Being a pretty friendly (and definitely harmless!) kind of guy, it used to bother me that my “hellos” and “good mornings” were largely ignored.
It wasn’t until it was explained to me that these women didn’t know me from Adam that it clicked in my mind that they were just being cautious. And who could blame them? There are some real monsters trolling hotel lobbies, and I don’t envy any woman who must travel alone. As you say Anna, the relationship between men and women has been irreparably distorted by sin.
Thank you for an informative and necessary post.
There are kind and decent men like you out there, Ron. But it can be difficult for a woman to identify them.