SMH Opinion: "...women are not children. If one makes a serious criminal accusation, one must be treated as a moral adult."

Brotaufstrich · 2011-01-07T12:25:08+00:00

The article implies that all rape victims belong to an enlightend social group in which they would not be considered to be "devalued" by being raped. This might be the case for a lot of women, but what about those living in subcultures where this is still the case? Some of the infamous "honour killings" have happend as a reaction to the women being raped and thereby bringing "shame" to their families, so it's safe to assume that even those who don't get murdered straight away have reason to fear for their safety if they press charges. Also, what about men being victims of sexual assault? The stigma that men can never be victims is so strong that the author doesn't even entertain the idea that someone who is not a woman could ever be affected by this law. Don't tell me a man who claimed to have been raped or sexually assaulted would not have to deal with public ridicule and be considered less of a man if he admitted that he was a victim.

Yes, there is no real reason to keep the names of women, who are fully integrated into western societies secret if they accuse someone of rape. They don't have to deal with the same negative consequences they would have suffered in the Victorian era, and they are in a position in which treating rape like any other crime is feasible. It's only that those aren't the only people that can be sexually assaulted and raped.

They should make more of an effort to keep the identity of those accused of rape secret until they are convicted (if they get convicted), since the accusation alone can destroy lifes.

bassguy13 · 2011-01-07T20:36:44+00:00

I do understand the need for anonymity in certain circumstances for the victims as completely necessary; whether it is right or wrong, women in our society (written from United States) as well as others around the world are deemed "damaged goods" when put under such a hateful act as rape, as the article states.

However, I do believe that that same anonymity that helps victims of these horrible crimes come forward and reap justice is abused. At Hofstra University 4 men were accused of gang-raping a young woman. Such a heinous accusation was met with what was to be expected- a public ready to put these young men away for as long as possible.

I was definitely disgusted by the story, but interested to hear that despite interrogating, none of the men admitted to anything but consensual sex. Finally, the young woman, STILL unnamed, admitted to falsifying a police report after realizing she was embarrassed of what happened that early Sunday morning.

So these young men, having been thrown to the wolves the second and accusation was made, will always have this sex act attached to their names. Much like the Duke lacrosse players, they will be remembered for being involved in this situation most likely for the rest of their lives.

Here's a quick article on the vindication of the alleged attackers http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local-beat/Hofstra-Rape-Victim-Recants-Tale-Suspects-to-be-Released-Report-59568692.html

I think the sentencing for falsifying such a thing should be strict, swift, and without hesitation. All that did was ruin four names and families as well as potentially hurting the credibility of the next person to come forward, someone who might have actually been assaulted and needs justice.

While we discussed this in class a bit (I'm a Social Welfare student) it seemed no one was interested in continuing conversation once we found out it was a hoax; being that the oppressed woman was no longer a victim, there was nothing to be said.

Partly due to my laziness, I couldn't find anymore information on the topic, but last I heard I believe the DA of Nassau County wanted to keep the girl's name anonymous to protect her reputation. Any further developments would be appreciated, because while this happened a while ago, this article got me all fired up again haha

hopeless_case · 2011-01-07T18:46:13+00:00

I would not have expected a call for the end of anonymity from her quarter.

Fascinating.

Liverotto · 2011-01-07T20:41:21+00:00

Women ARE children, they accusations are worthless.

Title	SMH Opinion: "...women are not children. If one makes a serious criminal accusation, one must be treated as a moral adult."
Author	[deleted]
Upvotes	28
Comments	11
Date	January 7, 2011 6:16 AM UTC (15 years ago)
Subreddit	Posted in /r/MensRights
Original Link	https://old.reddit.com/r/MensRights/comments/exqra/smh_opinion_women_are_not_children_if_one_makes_a/
Archive Link	https://theredarchive.com/r/MensRights/smh-opinion-women-are-not-children-if-one-makes-a.1044565 https://theredarchive.com/post/1044565

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