It seems as if we have a problem in this country. Well, to be fair we have a lot of problems, but in particular we have a problem when it comes to sexual assault and rape. We don’t believe women when they come forward to say they are victims, and too often we protect the men who are their perpetrators.
Tell me if this scenario sounds familiar.
A female comes forward and says she’s a victim of sexual assault. What happens next is unfortunately, all too common.
“What was she wearing?”
“Had she been drinking?”
“Was she alone?”
“Did she know the man?”
I’m not sure why people ask these kinds of questions, as if the answer to any of them would make it though the crime was justified in any way. Yet, the questions always get asked as if the woman is somehow at fault for the man’s actions.
If you don’t think we have a problem when it comes to not believing women and instead protecting men, look no further than Washington D.C. For the last couple years we’ve heard from both political parties about the Epstien files and how if Donald Trump were to win the presidency for a second term, he would release all the files. While many of the files have been released, it sure hasn’t been an easy ride to get to this point. There’s a whole lot of foot dragging and denying files and lists even exist, only to have some trickle into the public domain days later.
Not to mention, if any of you watched former Attorney General Pam Bondi testify before Congress recently about the files, in which she couldn’t even bring herself to turn and acknowledge many of Epstein’s victims, it sure seems like we’re just turning our backs on a whole bunch of women.
And yes, it is a problem, a big problem.
One in six women in this country has experienced attempts or completed rape in her lifetime, according to RAINN, the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network. That amounts to an estimated 17.7 million American women who are victims of rape, meaning there’s a good chance that if you aren’t a victim, someone you care about is. Young women are especially at risk, as 82 percent of all victims are juvenile females. Nearly every minute, someone in the U.S. is sexually assaulted, and every nine minutes, that someone is a child.
Now let’s make some things clear.
If we are serious about standing up and protecting girls and women from sexual predators like a whole lot of you say you are, that means we need to protect all girls and women.
It doesn’t matter if they are white, black, Asian or Latino. It doesn’t matter if they have blonde hair, brown hair or blue hair. It doesn’t matter if they are 6 years old, 16 years old, 36 years old or 66 years old. It doesn’t matter if they are rich or poor. It doesn’t matter if they have tattoos or piercings or dress differently than you. It doesn’t matter if they were at a party, if they were drinking, if they were out late at night alone. It doesn’t matter if the person who did it was a stranger, an acquaintance, their boyfriend, husband, or brother. It doesn’t matter if they are democrat or republican.
What matters is that you listen to women. What matters is that you believe women when they have the courage to stand up and say they are a victim, because that in itself takes courage. What matters is that you say, “It doesn’t matter who did this to you, I want that person held responsible.”
Because it sure seems as if those three things aren’t happening too much in this country right now. And who is to blame for that? As a society, we are.
Rachel Brougham is the former assistant editor of the Petoskey News-Review. You can email her at racheldbrougham@gmail.com.
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: We have a problem not believing women and protecting men | Opinion
Reporting by Rachel Brougham, Community Columnist / The Petoskey News-Review
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