This past week I read an opinions article in the Whitworthian titled “We can’t just ‘Believe Women’ in assault cases” and I believe that the argument presented in that piece is not based in facts. While I do understand the viewpoint from which the writer is coming from, I fundamentally disagree with it. Set aside political beliefs for a second and take a look at the facts when it comes to the reporting and prosecution of sexual assault cases. According to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN), out of every 1,000 cases of rape, only six rapists will be incarcerated. A large part of this is the outstanding amount of sexual assault kits that sit in storage and go untested for decades. In Washington state alone, more than 6,400 sexual assault kits sit in evidence storage at law enforcement agencies, some dating back as far as the 1980s. Out of those 1,000 cases of rape previously stated, only 310 of them will be reported.
Survivors often fear retribution if they report sexual assault or believe the police would not do anything to help. Then comes the myth that most sexual assault accusations are false. While there is no official number for the percentage of sexual assault accusations that are false, a study in 2010 that looked at sexual assault on college campuses found that between 2 and 10 percent of reported sexual assault accusations are false. While this is a case study, it shows the rarity of false accusations. I do not believe in blindly believing just anyone, but I do believe that not believing survivors enforces rape culture where survivors are shamed and perpetrators are not held accountable. So yeah, I believe survivors.
Michaela Mulligan, ‘19
Major: Journalism and Mass Communication