Like the two senators or anyone for that matter. I always tell my mother that either they are in fear of the power the other party may do, maybe getting paid off, or some even fear of deportation.

  • IWW4@lemmy.zip
    17·
    1 day ago

    Lordy what a complex question.

    Why don’t rape victims immediately go to the police?

    There are so many reasons:

    • fear of reprisal
    • not wanting to deal with the stigma of being a rape victim
    • the bizarrely fucked up and contradictory cultural norms associated with sex in the US, in the US women are taught that if they engage in sex they are being a slut.
    • People victim blame, she was wearing a tight skirt, she should not have been out at night, she should not have ridden around in cars with boys.
    • Rape kits and rape investigations can be traumatic.
    • Often the best coping mechanism people can have for such an assault is try and bury the emotions.
    • Self doubt… did I lead this person on? Did I say yes?
    • The futility of it, perceived or real. Rapist trials are messy and long drawn out affairs and there are no guarantees. So is there any point in reporting?
    • Riskable@programming.devEnglish
      16·
      1 day ago

      Don’t forget this far-too-common reason:

      • The person that raped you is a police officer.

      It takes, “fear of reprisal” to a whole new level.

    • FearMeAndDecay@literature.cafeEnglish
      7·
      1 day ago

      Another coping mechanism is to minimize it. “It wasn’t actually rape” or “at least they didn’t beat me/choke me” etc. They tell themself it wasn’t actually a big deal bc actually admitting to themselves that what they went through was deeply traumatic can be absolutely crushing and can sometimes push them over the edge. As much as we want sa survivors to report the perpetrators so they can (unfortunately hopefully) be arrested, their focus is and should be their own health and well-being. Tho means that sometimes people are only able to speak up a long time after