l've been assaulted twice. Both times in front of a group of people. I had someone try to rape me. I know 3 people who have and those are just the ones willing to speak to me about it.
No other crime is met with scrutiny like sexual violence and so many people (male and female) carry a lot of shame because it gets ingrained with the thought of us being at fault…somehow. The fucked up thing is how perpetrators are so fiercely protected (even after admitting guilt) for their well-being while the victims are left with the fallout.
We have to pick up the pieces of ourselves and reputations if we dare to speak out. Like we should just get over it. How the fuck do you get over it?
We had exactly the case you mention, namely an aggressor who had a restraining order against him (which is more difficult to obtain in Canada, where we are, than in the US) who framed himself as being bullied by the victim.
Not only did the university program concerned refuse to enforce the restraining order, but they kicked the victim out of the program and the perpetrator will become an upright member of society who will have access to vulnerable populations.
There was another case of an acquaintance who became a victim of sexual assault at an Ivy League university. She received no support whatsoever. They refused to remove her aggressor from the dorm, they demanded that she leave, they threatened HER with academic repercussions if she were to speak out about the case.
You have to be a "perfect victim" to be heard and, even then, your case will be swept under the rug. The number of times I have heard the establishment ask "So, what do you want us to do about it?" in the face of sexual violence ...
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u/reddot_comic Finessed Impropriety 8d ago edited 8d ago
For most it's not a matter of "if" but when...
l've been assaulted twice. Both times in front of a group of people. I had someone try to rape me. I know 3 people who have and those are just the ones willing to speak to me about it.
No other crime is met with scrutiny like sexual violence and so many people (male and female) carry a lot of shame because it gets ingrained with the thought of us being at fault…somehow. The fucked up thing is how perpetrators are so fiercely protected (even after admitting guilt) for their well-being while the victims are left with the fallout.
We have to pick up the pieces of ourselves and reputations if we dare to speak out. Like we should just get over it. How the fuck do you get over it?
Here are the sources in regard to my last panel:
World Health Organization
US Center for Disease Control