When Sexual Assault Claims stay Claims
With recent news circulating Gov. Cuomo’s alleged sexual harassment claims, it brings to light the issue of sexual assault and the relevance of the topic. Many sexual assault claims remain unsolved.
Statistically, a majority of sexual predators walk free. To be specific, out of every 1000 sexual assaults, 995 perpetrators will walk free. Of those, only 230 will be reported, with 46 reports leading to arrests. With that said…
- An American is sexually assaulted every 73 seconds.
- On average, 433,648 Americans ages 12 or older are victims of sexual violence every year.
- 81% of women have experienced some sort of sexual harassment in their lifetime.
If someone were to decide whether to contact authorities regarding a sexual assault, would the fact that for example, Donald Trump or Gov. Cuomo have lingering sexual assault allegations against them, alter their decision.
Some say yes.
A poll of 80 adults conducted by a Marist College student found that 91% of respondents believe lingering sexual assault allegations in the media would affect a victim’s decision to come forward. Again, 91% said that victims of sexual assault could be affected, in any way, by unsolved allegations against public figures. And, 67% of those surveyed said that the phrase, “innocent until proven guilty” can be fuzzy.
“Every time you see people defend a man, especially a man in power like Trump or Kavanaugh, we’re inherently learning, as women, that no one will ever believe us and it’s not worth coming forward,” said an anonymous source from California.
Whether a claim is true or false is not the question at hand, though. It is a matter of sexual assault allegations remaining questioned without closure for years.
“Politicians are so powerful that they can make a victim’s arguments feel invalid… they’re always going to put out a statement invalidating that claim,” said a student working towards her paralegal certificate. The student believes situations such as this lead the victim to feel less in power than they may already.
“When a disclosure is met with negative responses, it can lead to feelings of shame for survivors,” said Neeraja Sanmuhanathan, a Senior Sexual Assault Counselor for Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in an article posted to The Conversation. She claims silence to be a form of survival, especially considering coming forward often means more questions than support.
“Perpetrators of sexual violence are less likely to go to jail or prison than other criminals,” as stated by the nation's largest anti-sexual violence organization.
So, do claims against public figures circulating the internet and media affect victims in their experiences or coming out? That is a question that remains unanswered.
This article is based on public opinion and data from other sources. Therefore it is merely a piece to bring awareness to sexual assault.
National Domestic Violence Hotline:
Hotline: 1 (800) 799–7233
RAINN Confidential Hotline
Hotline: 800–656- 4673
Available to chat online at online.rainn.org
Love is Respect — National Teen Dating Abuse Hotline
Hotline: 1 (866) 331–9474
Text: 22522
