The Thinking ‘Kat: Believing
In one of his recent posts, Derrick Thiessen of Theology Archaeology put forward the idea that crimes should be reported immediately. It is impossible to know for certain, but considering prior debates and arguments, and Derrick’s stance on matters such as Ravi Zacharias, and other cases of sexual abuse, it is not unreasonable to think that his argument centred around cases of sexual violence and misconduct. Derrick has previously become very angry about the delays in reporting these crimes to the authorities, but his anger is not aimed at the perpetrators of these crimes; his focus is on the victims.
For the benefit of doubt, perhaps Derrick is drawing a long bow. Perhaps he believes any and all crimes should be reported immediately, and the subtlety I’m subscribing to him is misplaced. In a perfect world, a crime would indeed be reported quickly, but we don’t live in a perfect world, and there are a great many reasons why any sort of crime may not be immediately reported. In cases of theft, people may not notice missing items or money until well after the fact. In cases of murder, it may take a new look at the incident, years later and with new technology, to realise it was murder at all. In the case of sexual assault, there’s an abundance of reasons why victims do not step forward at the time, and this post will aim to look at why.
Scared into Silence
It is an unfortunate truism of society that victims of rape and abuse are often frightened into staying quiet. Their abuser – who is often someone they know – will threaten and bully their victim into not saying a word. There is fear of retaliation, and in fact this is the main reason victims do not come forward. If people want victims to be open, they should be seeking to create a culture where speaking out against assault is encouraged, but regrettably, this is not what some people advocate for.
Some people often preach the mantra ‘women lie’. They rarely admonishes men for lying, and men lie as frequently as women do, particularly to protect one another. Indeed, the horrific Epstein business is proof enough of this, among other terrible things. When men in power use their authority to carry out awful crimes, then wield it again to scare victims into silence, this is a sign of a horribly broken system. You cannot simultaniously demand victims of assault step forward as soon as possible, whilst pouring doubt on them in virtually the same instance, yet I have seen nothing from these people to suggest they understand the hypocritical disconnect in their positions.
Coerced and Shamed
These are methods utilised regularly by abusers. Victims are manipulated, convinced that they somehow deserved what happened to them. They are made to feel awful about themselves, and they will therefore refuse to come forward, for fear of judgement. Whilst society has made great strides in overcoming stigmas around rape, and moved to tackle the bullshit arguments like ‘what was she wearing?’, these notions still exist, and they still exist within legal systems. Sometimes police are dismissive of reports; when the authorities do not want to know, or suggest the victim somehow brought upon themselves, what hope is there for the victim? How does Derrick propose to overcome this deep-seated, institutionalised problem of victim-blaming?
Power protects Power
Returning to the Epstein files, this is as clear a demonstration of men in positions of influence and authority looking out for each other to keep their horrendous crimes under wraps for decades. What does Derrick make of this? Are all the victims wrong for not coming forward sooner? Should they be subjected to doubt and scorn? Or is there a serious flaw with the rank and file of the powerful, not to mention society at large, when so many cases have been brushed under the carpet, and a massive conspiracy has been enacted to keep it concealed?
Make no mistake, the rich and influential men linked to Epstein have been prepared to go to great lengths to hide their actions, and exploited whatever means necessary to do, including bribery, extortion, and fear. They have created an environment where it is almost impossible for victims to come forward, and ensured those that do have an uphill struggle for justice. In fact, it’s more than an environment, it’s a culture.
Honesty vs Dishonesty
Derrick may fall back to his mantra ‘women lie’, but the question is, how many actually lie when they report sexual assault, even years later? Women know that the culture developed over the centuries, and enhanced by the Epstein situation, means they will face undue scrutiny and harrowing interrogations, despite coming forward as victims of crime. They know that the mechanism of power will seek to shield itself via whatever means necessary. Whether they step forward in the days and weeks after being raped, or whether they do so years later, there will always be men ready to doubt them. Men will instantly believe a man over a woman, owing to latent misogyny.
Culture needs to change. If we are to accept the idea of innocent until proven guilty, we ought to accept that victims get the same benefit of the doubt.
‘Kat Comments