Sir - Kathryn Holmquist's article (February 29th) clearly highlights "the scientific illiteracy" of the thesis on rape put forward by Craig Palmer and Randy Thornhill.
Yet another leap of logic is evident in the solutions they put forward to avoid rape. They suggest that women should be chaperoned in situations where males and females are likely to come into contact and that societal barriers should prevent women from going out alone in isolated areas. Logic, would suggest an alternative solution i.e. that men should be sanctioned.
Rape is a crime committed by some men. It is these men who are responsible for rape and it is their behaviour and actions which must be curtailed. The logical conclusion of the explanation of rape put forward by Palmer and Thornhill would be to chaperone men in situations where males and females are likely to come into contact and to establish societal barriers which prevent men - especially at the ages they are most likely to rape - from going out alone in isolated areas.
Solutions to address rape should target those who perpetrate the crime, not those who are its victims - Yours, etc.,
Dr Maire Leane, Department of Applied Social Studies, NUI, Cork.