Imagine you have just been assaulted physically and sexually. You call the police who come and ask you lots of questions and tell you to go to the hospital and get a rape kit done. You are poked, prodded and scraped by strangers who are trying to care for you but are still strangers. You are again questioned and finally released to try to piece your life together.
First stop, a shower for hours, trying to scrub the stench off of you. Family and friends don't know how to deal with you. They innocently ask why did you go there?or why didn't fight back? or why did you trust him? They do not know the harm this secondary wounding does. Maybe you seek professional help, maybe you live in denial and fear for months.
One sunny day, you open your mail to discover a bill for your rape kit and hospital exams even though you are told that the state pays for it. All those images close back in on you, bleak, black, desolate fear. Now you have to fight the authorities and hospital for compensation, reopening old wounds, still feeling as a victim, persecuted for the crime of just being the closest female to the perp at the time he decides to take control. All the while trying to hold it together for your family. You are in such a deep depression, that this could send a fragile one over the edge. Or make others not want to come forward, allowing perps to continue to violate women.
This is not a joke. It did and does happen in Houston... as seen in this article
http://www.click2houston.com/news/19400415/detail.html
Makes one think... who is on the victim's side? This is why some cities have advocates who help through the process, but they are few and far between. If you want to help others, this is an area that desparately needs assistance.
What if it were your mom or your daughter?
Showing posts with label victims. Show all posts
Showing posts with label victims. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Saturday, June 27, 2009
The Law and Rape
Tonight I feel strong enough to open up and try to empower women as well as educate others. What follows is a common story found on a number of sites. The author is unknown.
Later, I will follow up with ways to assist victims. And to try to help people understand at least what I have learned walking through this part of my life. Maybe you know someone who is struggling with this issue. Maybe you will someday need to be that should for someone who has this terrible life changing event. Every rape survivor is someone's wife, daughter, mother, or sister. And no one is immune from this . Rape is the only crime that the victim has to prove that it even happened. If you are in a robbery, your word is enough.
THE TRIAL OF MR. SMITH :
A RAPE VICTIM'S EXPERIENCE IN THE JUDICIAL SYSTEM
The following mock investigation of Mr. Smith illustrates the brutal and rigorous treatment that victims of rape sometimes endure in the judicial process. The dialogue underscores the point that rape victims are never at fault for the crime committed against them, and it highlights the importance of sensitizing members of law enforcement and the judicial system to better meet the needs of victims.
Investigator: Mr. Smith, you allege to have been help up at gunpoint on the corner of First and Main.
Mr. Smith: Yes.
Investigator: Did you see a gun?
Mr. Smith: No.
Investigator: So, you made a conscious decision to comply with his demands rather than resist?
Mr. Smith: Yes.
Investigator: Did you scream? Cry out?
Mr. Smith: No.
Investigator: In other words, you didn’t try to get help for yourself.
Mr. Smith: I was afraid to.
Investigator: I see. Have you ever been held up before?
Mr. Smith: No.
Investigator: Have you ever given money away?
Mr. Smith: Yes, of course.
Investigator: And you did so willingly?
Mr. Smith: What are you getting at?
Investigator: Well, let’s put it like this, Mr. Smith. You’ve given money away in the past. In fact, you have quite a reputation for your generosity. How can we be sure that you weren’t planning on having your money taken by force?
Mr. Smith: Listen, if I wanted…
Investigator: Never mind. What time did this hold up take place?
Mr. Smith: About 11:00 p.m.
Investigator: You were out on the street at 11:00 p.m.? Doing what?
Mr. Smith: Just walking.
Investigator: Just walking? You know that it’s dangerous being out on the street late at night. Weren’t you aware that you could have been held up?
Mr. Smith: I hadn’t thought about it.
Investigator: What were you wearing?
Mr. Smith: Let’s see - a suit. Yes, a suit.
Investigator: An expensive suit?
Mr. Smith: Well, yes. I’m a successful lawyer, you know.
Investigator: In other words Mr. Smith, you were walking around the streets late at night in a suit that practically advertised the fact that you might be a good target for some easy money, isn’t that so? I mean, if we didn’t know better, Mr. Smith, we might even think that you were asking for this to happen, mightn’t we?
Source: American Bar Association Journal
Later, I will follow up with ways to assist victims. And to try to help people understand at least what I have learned walking through this part of my life. Maybe you know someone who is struggling with this issue. Maybe you will someday need to be that should for someone who has this terrible life changing event. Every rape survivor is someone's wife, daughter, mother, or sister. And no one is immune from this . Rape is the only crime that the victim has to prove that it even happened. If you are in a robbery, your word is enough.
THE TRIAL OF MR. SMITH :
A RAPE VICTIM'S EXPERIENCE IN THE JUDICIAL SYSTEM
The following mock investigation of Mr. Smith illustrates the brutal and rigorous treatment that victims of rape sometimes endure in the judicial process. The dialogue underscores the point that rape victims are never at fault for the crime committed against them, and it highlights the importance of sensitizing members of law enforcement and the judicial system to better meet the needs of victims.
Investigator: Mr. Smith, you allege to have been help up at gunpoint on the corner of First and Main.
Mr. Smith: Yes.
Investigator: Did you see a gun?
Mr. Smith: No.
Investigator: So, you made a conscious decision to comply with his demands rather than resist?
Mr. Smith: Yes.
Investigator: Did you scream? Cry out?
Mr. Smith: No.
Investigator: In other words, you didn’t try to get help for yourself.
Mr. Smith: I was afraid to.
Investigator: I see. Have you ever been held up before?
Mr. Smith: No.
Investigator: Have you ever given money away?
Mr. Smith: Yes, of course.
Investigator: And you did so willingly?
Mr. Smith: What are you getting at?
Investigator: Well, let’s put it like this, Mr. Smith. You’ve given money away in the past. In fact, you have quite a reputation for your generosity. How can we be sure that you weren’t planning on having your money taken by force?
Mr. Smith: Listen, if I wanted…
Investigator: Never mind. What time did this hold up take place?
Mr. Smith: About 11:00 p.m.
Investigator: You were out on the street at 11:00 p.m.? Doing what?
Mr. Smith: Just walking.
Investigator: Just walking? You know that it’s dangerous being out on the street late at night. Weren’t you aware that you could have been held up?
Mr. Smith: I hadn’t thought about it.
Investigator: What were you wearing?
Mr. Smith: Let’s see - a suit. Yes, a suit.
Investigator: An expensive suit?
Mr. Smith: Well, yes. I’m a successful lawyer, you know.
Investigator: In other words Mr. Smith, you were walking around the streets late at night in a suit that practically advertised the fact that you might be a good target for some easy money, isn’t that so? I mean, if we didn’t know better, Mr. Smith, we might even think that you were asking for this to happen, mightn’t we?
Source: American Bar Association Journal
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