Why do women wait so long to report sexual assaults?
It’s complex! Firstly there’s usually some sort of shock involved with the experience.
Women will also question what happened and wonder if there was anything they may have done to contribute to what happened. The stages are denial, minimizing and even doubting what actually occurred because the reality is too painful to fully absorb. Healing is a process that has its own time table.
Fear is a huge factor why women don’t come forward. For decades women have learned to live in silence and disgrace fearing the consequences of what might happen if they reveal their stories.
When and if they finally speak up , they are met with disbelief, disrespect, discredited and sometimes isolated and shunned. This then can cause a victim to spiral into a life time pattern of pain & self loathing.
The lesson learned is that women are to be blamed for making up such stories and causing a scandal. After all, women are considered emotional and irrational beings so many of their claims are dismissed accordingly. In a nutshell, we get severely punished for speaking out.
Many risk losing their jobs, status in society, possibly family or friends. Speaking out can be dangerous. Some women put their lives at risk for doing so, only to be asked belittling questions regarding their choice of clothing and/or past sexual history. They then get slapped with a degrading label which they might carry for a lifetime.
We must also take into consideration that most professionals involved in such crimes , in the past, have been men.
Judges, jurors, lawyers, police, doctors were primarily men , so in a male dominated society, men protected men, rather than the women. This, in itself, created a saturated stigma that has kept women quiet for decades.
This is the sole reason why METOO has become so explosive. It’s finally given women the platform they need to speak out about such experiences in a safe environment. After all, there IS safety in numbers and women supporting women like this , has been a ‘saving grace’ for many.
These are some reasons why women don’t report sexual abuse when it happens.
We need to end the belief that if women are empowered , men will suffer.
This isn’t and has never been a battle between the sexes. Sexual abuse happens to men also which is why we need to empower humanity to speak out against injustices. Speaking out is only a threat to men who believe that sexual assault and abuse never happen to their gender.
Newsflash!
It DOES , so when women speak up, it empowers us ALL!!!
It’s complex! Firstly there’s usually some sort of shock involved with the experience.
Women will also question what happened and wonder if there was anything they may have done to contribute to what happened. The stages are denial, minimizing and even doubting what actually occurred because the reality is too painful to fully absorb. Healing is a process that has its own time table.
Fear is a huge factor why women don’t come forward. For decades women have learned to live in silence and disgrace fearing the consequences of what might happen if they reveal their stories.
When and if they finally speak up , they are met with disbelief, disrespect, discredited and sometimes isolated and shunned. This then can cause a victim to spiral into a life time pattern of pain & self loathing.
The lesson learned is that women are to be blamed for making up such stories and causing a scandal. After all, women are considered emotional and irrational beings so many of their claims are dismissed accordingly. In a nutshell, we get severely punished for speaking out.
Many risk losing their jobs, status in society, possibly family or friends. Speaking out can be dangerous. Some women put their lives at risk for doing so, only to be asked belittling questions regarding their choice of clothing and/or past sexual history. They then get slapped with a degrading label which they might carry for a lifetime.
We must also take into consideration that most professionals involved in such crimes , in the past, have been men.
Judges, jurors, lawyers, police, doctors were primarily men , so in a male dominated society, men protected men, rather than the women. This, in itself, created a saturated stigma that has kept women quiet for decades.
This is the sole reason why METOO has become so explosive. It’s finally given women the platform they need to speak out about such experiences in a safe environment. After all, there IS safety in numbers and women supporting women like this , has been a ‘saving grace’ for many.
These are some reasons why women don’t report sexual abuse when it happens.
We need to end the belief that if women are empowered , men will suffer.
This isn’t and has never been a battle between the sexes. Sexual abuse happens to men also which is why we need to empower humanity to speak out against injustices. Speaking out is only a threat to men who believe that sexual assault and abuse never happen to their gender.
Newsflash!
It DOES , so when women speak up, it empowers us ALL!!!