An international debating competition held in Wellington last weekend has been criticised for its moot that young women should be told to drink responsibly to avoid being sexually assaulted.
Aimee Gulliver reported in The Dominion Post that the debate, hosted by Victoria University as part of the New Zealand British Parliamentary Debating Championships, mooted that "This House, as a parent, would tell their daughter to drink responsibly to avoid sexual assault."
A spectator said female participants were reduced to tears both during and after the debate as they were "forced to defend their own rights to consume alcohol and have consensual sex".
"What resulted were many of the male debaters literally laughing at their female peers as they tried to defend their own rights to consume alcohol and have consensual sex, and there was also much joking about the circumstances in which sexual assault occurs."
The topic was set by chief adjudicator Stephen Whittington, a former member of the Victoria University Debating Society, who said he discussed the motion with five other adjudicators before setting it.
Whittington said debating often requires people to defend ideas or arguments that they did not personally agree with, such as whether Israel had a right to exist as a country and the morality of abortion.
Responding to the story on Facebook, the Wellington Young Feminists' Collective criticised the organisers, and called for an apology.
"It's not about 'emotions' or 'being objective'. It's about responses to trauma. ... Sexual violence is not an idea for you to play with, and you need to apologise for the absolute insensitivity demonstrated by your decision."