Coming Forward To Report Sexual Assault Is Complex, Layered Issue For Victims
Experts look at the reasons why reporting sexual assault can be a traumatic decision for victim. Meanwhile, as the allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh grip the attention of the nation, sexual assault survivors are trying to cope with triggered memories.
The Wall Street Journal:
The Complex Reasons Sexual Assaults Go Unreported
The heated national debate about sexual misconduct has cast a spotlight on victims’ reluctance to report assault. The issue has been at the center of some of the most high-profile cases in the #MeToo era. The National Sexual Violence Resource Center, a Harrisburg, Pa., nonprofit, reviewed studies by the U.S. Department of Justice and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as academic legal research, and found only 5% to 20% of sexual-assault victims report attacks to law enforcement. (Bernstein, 9/29)
NPR:
Traumatic Moments Are Burned Into Memory, Scientists Say
In Thursday's testimony at Judge Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation hearings, Christine Blasey Ford alleged Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her at a party in 1982, when she was 15 years old and he was 17. Kavanaugh staunchly denied these allegations.But memory is fallible. A question on many people's minds is, how well can anyone recall something that happened over 35 years ago? (Chatterjee, 9/28)
The Washington Post:
Sexual Assault Victims Are Reliving Their Trauma, Triggered By Kavanaugh Hearing
Painful. Gut-wrenching. Heartbreaking. Unbearable. That’s how women described listening to Thursday’s Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, where Christine Blasey Ford testified that Supreme Court nominee Brett M. Kavanaugh had sexually assaulted her when they were both in high school. (Bloom, 9/28)
