“We live in a society where two realities exist simultaneously: accused rapists are often seen as guilty before evidence or trial, and many rape victims face derision, shaming and disbelief when they come forward as victims of sexual assault, which is why they say so many never come forward. Facing a rape charge is terrifying and expensive. Coming forward as a rape victim is also intimidating and re-traumatizing, particularly if the police don’t immediately take you seriously. Neither side has an easy road, and we do a disservice to the complexity of the issue when we broadly presume all accused to be guilty, or victims to be making things up. Too often people on the outside fall in one of those two camps, and both are guilty of ignoring the realities of the situations.
This issue isn’t black and white. It’s not men against women. Hurting human beings often hurt others in their pursuit of justice, and that is why we need to be careful and cautious as we apply law, something which is supposed to be an objective arbitrator, to these emotional and painful situations. As hostilities increase between those who feel we aren’t doing enough to serve real victims of rape and those who see lives ruined by falsehood, we need to consistently apply our outrage: even one injustice is too many. Of either, right?”
Read more at The Libertarian Republic.
AVENS OBRIEN 