Mayor Rob Ford’s niece is apologizing for a tweet on her personal Twitter account that urged women to protect themselves and not to dress like a "whore" to avoid becoming victims.
Krista Ford's tweet was posted Wednesday, as Toronto police issued a public warning to women and announced details about a series of sexual assaults in the Annex and Kensington Market.
The tweet has since been deleted, but, according to screen grabs captured by Twitter users, Krista Ford offered this advice: “Stay alert, walk tall, carry mace, take self-defence classes & don’t dress like a whore.”
According to Canadian law, products labelled as pepper spray or mace are classified as prohibited weapons and may only be carried by authorized peace officers.
On Thursday, Ford updated her Twitter account with an apology, saying she just wants women to be safe.
Ford wrote: "I didn't mean to cause such an alarm and I apologize if I did. I just want women to be safe."
Because Ford changed her account settings to private, her 1,500 followers are the only Twitter users who can view her tweets.
The apology was delivered after a woman who said she is one of the sexual assault victims took to Facebook to respond to Ford's tweet, implying the mayor's niece should have known better.
"I believe you have a right to your body and regardless of how you do or don’t dress it I believe you have a right to respect and personal security," the woman wrote. "I guess that’s the key difference in our thinking. You could wear a t-shirt that says 'I’m literally asking for it' and I’d still advocate for your security.
"For the record, I was sexually assaulted while wearing a knee-length polka-dot dress," the woman wrote. "The last time I wore that dress, it was to Easter dinner at my Gran’s, where I’m fairly certain I could make little to no money whoring."
After Ford's initial tweet was picked up by local media and more people became aware of it, fellow Twitter users were critical of the mayor's niece.
"What @kristaford said was disgusting and misguided, but wishing or threatening assault is no better. Hopefully she educates herself soon," a user named Emma tweeted in response.
Sarah, another Twitter user, wrote: "What is missing from so many of the news articles on @kristaford's tweet is why victim blaming is NOT ok."
Krista Ford may be best-known for her brief career as a member of Toronto’s Lingerie Football League club.
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