Rape Culture, USA

A great deal of attention has been paid, as of late, to the so-called "rape culture" in India. Many women have been raped and killed with accusers being labeled and shamed. Many rape victims commit suicide rather than live with the perceived shame.

I hate to say that the situation is not all that much better in the United States. Two stories ("Sex Assault Rarely Punished In Military, Victims Say"; R. Norman Moody, Florida Today and the Steubenville rape case) recount the atrocities that occur because our culture has refused to admit there is a problem with star athletes and military personnel (and others). Too often men are given a free pass for sexual assault because they are seen to be heroes or stars. Women who have been assaulted are presumed to be liars and degraded or harassed if they have the courage to report the crime. They are regarded as the perpetrators, not the men who raped them..

In the Steubenville, Ohio case, two male high school athletes were found guilty of sexual assault ONLY because the hacktivist  group Anonymous found texts and pictures and video and exposed the crime. Though it is apparent that many people in the Steubenville community knew of the attack, there is a good chance that no one would have pressed the issue if it wasn't for Anonymous. Even then, the community is deeply divided . I wonder if the victim will continue to be victimized by the community? My bet would be, yes, she will be hounded and derided and blamed. It is very wrong but it happens

In the case of women in the military who have been sexually assaulted, it has, historically, been extremely difficult for them to report and then to be taken seriously. In fact, many, if not most, have been harassed and persecuted. Many women have not reported the assault for this very reason.

It is this entitlement atmosphere that permits rape to occur. The two convicted young men in Steubenville undoubtedly thought they were safe because of their status as football players. Military personnel likewise think if they make life as difficult as possible for the assaulted women they will not report the rape and, historically, they have been correct. Only now is this travesty getting attention and action in the military and from Congress.  The question is, will attention translate into action and will assault victims ever get the justice they deserve? Thankfully, the assault victim in the Steubenville case seems to have prevailed in the justice system. It shouldn't have taken Anonymous to bring the assault to light so that justice COULD  be served.

When will women, worldwide, be safe? When will women and girls stop being trafficked worldwide and when will the rape culture be dismantled?

 UPDATE : Apparently the answer is: not now.  When reporting on the verdict in the Steubenville trial CNN couldn't restrain their sympathy with the convicted rapists: 

[CNN Anchor] "I cannot imagine having just watched this on the feed coming in. How emotional that must have been sitting in the courtroom." 

POPPY HARLOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: "I’ve never experienced anything like it, Candy. It was incredibly emotional — incredibly difficult even for an outsider like me to watch what happened as these two young men that had such promising futures, star football players, very good students, literally watched as they believe their life fell apart..." (Quoted from:  PoliticsUSA, Jason Easley)

Jason Easley (PoliticsUSA) continued, "CNN was sure to mention the impact of the verdict on the two football players, but they didn’t mention that the victim had her life ruined too. As the victim of a violent sexual attack, she will potentially carry trauma and injuries with her the rest of her life...

I wish I could say that this was a CNN only problem, but the blame the victim culture being perpetuated by the media and the Republican Party has created an epidemic. It would have been appropriate for CNN to mention that this was a sad and troubling case all the way around, but the network’s sympathy for convicted rapists while never mentioning the victim was inappropriate and disgusting."        http://www.politicususa.com/cnn-reports-steubenville-verdict-disgusting-pro-rapist-bias.html  
 
CNN is not unique, unfortunately. Our culture too often sides with the rapist and blames the victim. "She was just asking for it." Wrong. No one ever asks to be raped. Our culture needs to change and now.