A cop who’s spent 30 years fighting sexual assault explains why victims often wait to come forward
We know from research and our own experience that sexual assault and rape are the most underreported crimes. And part of the reason they’re underreported is that victims are concerned about whether they’re going to be believed or not. That prevents a lot of folks from coming forward, as well as the trauma of the experience.
.. The most common thing you hear, and the most common thing you see in the research, is that victims don’t think they’re going to be believed or supported.
.. One of the things you see in offenders who have been studied is a sense of entitlement. That they are entitled to exercise whatever power and control they have, and that they can do what they want.
.. Rape doesn’t happen, sexual offenses don’t happen, unless they think they can get away with it. Sexual assault and rape are choices.
.. The more power and control someone has, the more devastating it is for a single victim to feel like they could come forward and report this. It’s like, who the hell is going to believe me when it’s this big, powerful person?
So when one victim comes forward, it’s not at all uncommon to see others think, “Well, they came forward; now it’s not just my word,