Stop telling survivors they must report to the police

Pret Allez · Apr 18, 2014

I just wanted to share a short but no less important article from Feministing today by Wagatwe Wanjuki. Hopefully, a sample from the middle will entice you to read the whole thing.

Wagatwe Wanjuki said:

Time and time again, I’ve seen questions about whether a survivor went to the police derail conversations that focus on other aspects of sexual violence. Senator Gillibrand’s goal is to get funding so students’ civil rights are protected, yet reporters seemed fixated on the potential criminal prosecution part of her story – something that is separate from a school’s internal judicial process. I think the tendency to ask about reporting to police after a survivor speaks out is a reflection of our society’s narrow view of justice after sexual violence: sending the perpetrator to prison.

This, unfortunately, sets the stage for survivors who come forward to be judged and attacked for yet another reason: deciding not to report. Recently, my friend Britni de la Cretaz wrote at her blog Fiending for Hope about being raped and deciding to not report it. Inspired by Britni’s bravery, her friend Marti McKenna shared her own story a few days later about her own decision to not report after an attack. But instead of reading and understanding their very valid decisions to not turn to the police, people were outraged. The negative backlash they received is astounding to me. Instead of celebrating Britni’s and Marti’s bravery, readers called them cowardly for not coming forward. Others said that they owed it to society to report and by failing to do so they are contributing to the perpetuation of rape culture. It was clear that these people were missing the point. The whole point of these blog posts was to promote understanding and provide a nuanced look at the option of reporting.
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My point here is not that rapists shouldn't be punished. In fact, I happen to think that Coker v Georgia and Kennedy v Louisiana were atrocious court decisions.

But the point, more broadly, is that survivors of sexual violence have suffered enough. They don't need to be shamed or questioned in addtion to what they went through for their decisions not to report. I think it's okay to encourage people to report and make them feel supported should they choose so, but it becomes inappropriate to tell them normatively "this is the thing you must do," as if they have a duty to others.

GreenMan · Apr 18, 2014

Pret Allez said: ↑

it becomes inappropriate to tell them normatively "this is the thing you must do," as if they have a duty to others.
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I agree, though it's a complex topic. I think others say that because it's the standard response, and it does seem to be rooted in common sense. However, there are sometimes other considerations to make, people removed from the situation usually have trouble appreciating that.

Stop telling survivors they must report to the police

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Stop telling survivors they must report to the police

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