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You’ve Found Out Someone You Trust Is a Sexual Predator — Here’s What You Shouldn’t Do

No, it wasn’t ‘just a mistake’ and no, they don’t deserve a second chance.

Laura Fox
Fearless She Wrote
6 min readAug 30, 2021

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Photo by Keira Burton from Pexels

“8 out of 10 rapes are committed by someone known to the victim.”

-Perpetrators of Sexual Violence: Statistics by RAINN.org

It’s not uncommon for a rapist to be someone likeable, even trustworthy. In the case of child sexual abuse, 60% of abusers were people that the family knew and trusted. One of the signs of a sexual predator is manipulative behaviour, so it’s unsurprising that they can be people who a popular and well thought of.

Unfortunately, when victims speak out, many people are unsupportive. Instead, they may choose to support the perpetrator. A survey undertaken by the victim’s commissioner, Dame Vera Baird QC, found that the majority of victims did not feel believed. In fact, only 14% believed they would receive justice if they reported their rape to the police.

The lack of faith in the justice system is not unfounded. According to RAINN, for every 1000 sexual assaults, 975 perpetrators will walk free.

It’s apparent we live in a culture where victims are not believed. When you find out the perpetrator is someone you trust, looked up to, or…

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Fearless She Wrote
Fearless She Wrote

Published in Fearless She Wrote

This is a space to empower differences, tell our stories, and share our lives together. We will not be silenced. We will be fearless. And we will write.

Laura Fox
Laura Fox

Written by Laura Fox

I write to heal myself and others. Instagram: @laure_e_fox_

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