In the last few months, the number of high profile men being accused of sexual assault has climbed, and unfortunately is still climbing, to disgustingly high numbers. The reports started with Harvey Weinstein and new allegations have been made public nearly every day since.
Contrary to what most people may believe, according to the Canadian site, SexualAssault.ca, the number of falsely accused sexual assault cases is around a mere three per cent.
While the tiny three per cent are present, everyone, not just women, must come together and support the remaining 97 per cent.
The thing about sexual assault allegations that I find to be the most upsetting is when a person is accused and someone comments something like, “This is pretty serious you know? This could ruin a man’s career.” Not only do these types of statements negate women’s agency and lead them into even further anxiety than the assault has already given them, it is frankly just not true when a man has power.
Donald Trump is a prime example of a person who has had numerous, very serious, allegations made against him and not only has his career not taken a hit, but he has thrived becoming President of the most powerful country in the world.
So, while it may look “suspicious” or “convenient” as some media outlets have unfortunately stated, for all these women (and men) to come forward now with allegations against such powerful men as Kevin Spacey, Casey Affleck and Harvey Weinstein, there is strength in numbers proven in each of these cases. Even though it may be months or even years since the trauma occurred, we should be proud of these men and women for finding the strength to come forward and name their rapist.
What about the women who don’t have the financial recourses, let alone the confidence, to come forward? What about the women who can hardly afford to buy groceries let alone hire a lawyer to fight against their rapist?
High profile men, such as producers and actors, are held to an even higher standard. In turn, they hold even more power. We still must recognize the patriarchal power complex that is present in everyday life, even in our small community.
This past winter, The Globe and Mail named Huntsville the fifth worse community in Canada for sexual assault cases to be deemed unfounded. Deemed unfounded means the case is effectively dropped, allowing the accused to not only go free, but never even be brought to trial in the first place.
While reading this made my heart sink, I was honestly not surprised. After dealing with such situations in high school, as well as what I’ve heard from other young women in the community, I was not shocked to hear that our police system was failing us in this regard.
Unfortunately, I have personal experience with the local police detachment when it comes to reporting sexual harassment. I approached them as a victim and was left feeling extremely uncomfortable and felt as though I was being victim blamed.
With this in place, women have very little hope of being believed or listened to if they come forward. Why come forward if the case will just be dropped and the abuser will go free?
Here are some of the sexual assault statistics that I find to be the most disturbing:
94 per cent of women who are sexually assaulted experience some form of PTSD.
1 in 4 North American women will be sexually assaulted during their lifetime
80 per cent of assailants are friends or family of the victim.
While 91 per cent of victims are female, 9 per cent are male.
And, in my opinion the most disturbing statistic of all, while the majority of sexual assaults will happen to a woman while she is in college/university, only 12 per cent of rapes will be reported to either the school or the police.
Next time you don’t support that woman who took 15 years to come forward, think about the fact that 97 per cent of the allegations of abuse are true. Think about the young girl who is too scared to come forward because she’s afraid of being kicked out of her home. Think about the high school student who was threatened not to tell.
Believe victims; believe survivors.
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Thank you, Sydney for writing this important article. We must stand together.