Chris Cohlmeyer
Sep 8, 2018 · 1 min read

Your house was decorated in such a way that it was asking to be broken into – that would be laughed out of court, why is that line acceptable when it comes to rape which is someone breaking into you?

Before age 18, 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys and 1 in 3 black girls are sexually abused/raped. But only some 20% of these cases are reported at the time to the police. Almost 99%+ are perpetrated by a person known to and trusted by the child and parents.

As adults, the culture becomes worse for females between fending off unwanted attention to the prevalence of rape. For males it generally lessens but is still a risk. Too many police have been raised within the rape/abuse culture and have a preconceived disposition to dismiss those who have been raped.

A few police forces have drastically changed their model for working with rape and abuse victims. One, you believe the victim. Two, you understand that timeline of initial statements will be inconsistent. Three, you continue communication with the victim. Four, you assist the victim in accessing resources to aid recovery. Five, you refine the timeline into a final statement. Six, you continue support to the victim even if they opt out of pressing charges. Seven, you keep communication lines open in the event that they change their mind or become part of a larger case or chose to move on and put the event into their past even if cold case solved.

Male #MeToo age 15–18

    Chris Cohlmeyer

    Written by

    Janitor, leather craftsman, saddler, Forester, retired almost. Abuse survivor, former alcoholic addict, dad of three, skiing, nature, camping. life is good