The
period beginning on the Monday before Thanksgiving* up until Christmas, is the
peak time for a little reported incidence of mannequin rape, according
to disturbing figures that have come into our possession.
The
attacks, where store mannequins are sexually assaulted, sometimes in the store
in front of other shoppers, hit a peak in 2004 with over 4,000 suspected incidents.
That number is expected to grow again this year.
The
combination of mild winters, and increasingly sexy mannequins are to blame for
the increase in what is widely regarded as a significantly underreported crime.
Mannequin
rape may have gone unnoticed for many years as it had been miss-reported under
other offenses, such as 'mannequin theft', 'temporarily missing mannequin'
or 'unauthorized mannequin moving'.
In
the case of 'mannequin moving', most stores do not regard it as a police
reportable offense if the mannequin is moved less than 3 inches.
A
store security guard told this web site:
"85%
of mannequin rapes occur when a mannequin, which is on display near a changing
room, is taken into the said changing room and then attacked."
23
November 2005
*Thanksgiving
is the fourth Thursday of November.
