What Does “Believe Women” Actually Mean?
We start out by believing every other person who reports a crime; why not women reporting rape?
Sample Report: “Oh my gosh! I was walking home from the store and this guy who works out at my gym grabbed my purse and just took off.”
Sample Response: “Wow! Are you Okay? What did you lose? Do we need to cancel your credit cards? Let’s do that and then go right to the police. Do you know his name? I’ll go with you to report it.”
Sample Report: “Hello, 911? I need the fire department to get over here immediately. Some kids just set fire to my patio furniture and the blaze is getting dangerously close to my car. I need help now!” (I actually know someone who had this happen to her).
Sample Response: “We’re sending someone right away. Go into the back yard for now, until they can get the fire under control. We’ll ask for a description and more details once we make sure that you are safe and that the fire is truly put out.”
In both of these instances, the person reporting the crime was completely believed right at the outset both by friends and authority figures. There was an immediate presumption of truth in their report. There was an immediate concern with the well-being of the victim. No-one jumped right to, “I’ll bet you were tired of that old furniture and set it on fire…
