Question

Describe the challenges victims face in reporting rape.

Answer 1

Note: This response is in UK English, please paste the response to MS Word and you should be able to spot discrepancies easily. You may elaborate the answer based on personal views or your classwork if necessary.

(Answer) (1) The proof of the incident is a forensic report of the anatomy of the victim. These studies can be conducted only a few hours after the incident. This means that proof is not readily available for a long time.

(2) In certain part of the world, society would still stigmatise the victim as being publically shamed. This intimidates the victim to stay quiet in fear of the loss of anonymity.

(3) Character witness plays a major part in such cases. This might derail the verdict in favour of the person with the most agreeable public image. In some cases, the public image of the person might just have nothing to do with the crime itself.

(4) Peers of the accused might side the accused out of duty or nostalgia for the relationship they share. This would make it difficult for the victim who might struggle to prove their case with already so many variables stacked against them.

(5) Risk of unnecessary personal details becoming public might overwhelm the victim into not complaining about the incident. These court proceedings might be lengthy and tedious and the victim will have already gone through the trauma as it is.

Such factors make the reporting, hearings and verdict a nasty ordeal for a victim to bear.