There's no standard way survivors talk about sexual assault or relationship violence. It isn't always a police phone call; sometimes it's years of silence. Sometimes it trickles out, little by little, and then all at once; like a dam that swells and breaks and floods.
Part of it is fear: Will I be believed, these women and men think.
Part of it is doubt, sown by social mores that seem eager to excuse the inexcusable: Was it something I should just accept?
When they do talk, sometimes years later, a question reflexively arises. It's a question that was posed, more or less, by the President of the United States, to a woman who alleges a current Supreme Court nominee held her down at a high school party and tried to assault her: Why didn't you speak up earlier?
In response, people on Twitter have been sharing their reasons for not speaking up about their own assaults and it comes down to the following 8 main reasons:
Read the full article here
Part of it is fear: Will I be believed, these women and men think.
Part of it is doubt, sown by social mores that seem eager to excuse the inexcusable: Was it something I should just accept?
When they do talk, sometimes years later, a question reflexively arises. It's a question that was posed, more or less, by the President of the United States, to a woman who alleges a current Supreme Court nominee held her down at a high school party and tried to assault her: Why didn't you speak up earlier?
In response, people on Twitter have been sharing their reasons for not speaking up about their own assaults and it comes down to the following 8 main reasons:
- They're afraid of repercussions
- They are made to feel it's their fault
- They're told to dismiss it
- They are often the ones who were blamed
- They're afraid they would be asked for more evidence
- They're afraid no one will believe them
- They're afraid people will find out
- They want to forget
Read the full article here
