Rape is an incredibly serious subject and affects thousands of people of all ages. For many victims, their suffering goes unnoticed because rape is still not discussed openly. A lot of people who are raped or were in the past are ashamed of it and feel as though they are in some way to blame, so they never speak out about their situation.
Sexual crimes are the most under-reported crimes, with victims who do speak up often made to feel as though they deserved it from their behaviour, dress sense or looks. There is a lot of help available for rape victims though, that also isn’t publicised in the way that it should be. This is the very reason why speaking about rape is so important. Highlighting your own suffering and circumstances helps to create a dialogue about rape, that adds to a body of evidence that could well help a future victim. The more rape is discussed and dealt with, the less crimes that will be in the future that surround this issue. This is particularly the case with men, who hardly ever report their rape as they feel too ashamed or emasculated by the situation.
Most people who are raped won’t report the crime. This may be for a number of reasons, such as fear of it happening again if they know the attacker, judgement from others who may blame them or say it was deserved, or the fear of not being believed by the police. There is, however, no good reason for not reporting rape. In doing this, all you’re achieving is allowing the attacker to roam free and potentially strike again – either to you or someone else. It also perpetuates the belief that rape is something to be ashamed of and tucked under the carpet.
There’s no perfect crime, and there will always be potential evidence that could serve as proof of your attackers crime – it may not seem relevant at the time, but it may lead to them being caught either straight away or in time when they no doubt attack again. However, without your evidence, they will certainly walk free – this is why it is so important that you report the crime and give evidence wherever you can to help stop rapists from being able to attack at will.
Rape doesn’t define who you are and it isn’t something that anyone is deserving of. There is a huge body of help available to rape victims, from support groups to therapists, who can help you work through your feelings and issues about what happened to you. If you’ve been the victim of rape, speak to your GP who may be able to advise of support in your local area that can help you. Rape is a terrifying thing for anyone to have to go through, and while you may feel as though you are fine to deal with it with just the support of your family and friends, this is often not the case.
As supportive as your loved ones are, they won’t be equipped to deal with the wealth of emotions you’ll be feeling about the rape – you would be well advised to seek the help of a professional to get you through this period and help you to move forward. Even just speaking to someone at the end of a call centre line can help you feel as though an enormous weight has been lifted – never underestimate the power of speaking about your emotions.
