Soapbox: Lying about rape

MissSarah786

[url]http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/09/18/hofstra.case/index.html?iref=hpmostpop[/url] Woman says 4 men raped her in a dorm bathroom. Sex was actually consensual and part of it was recorded on a cell phone, which is why she ended up telling the truth when she saw the video. Police let the men go but are not releasing woman's name and have yet to press charges. She should be charged and arrested for her crime. The names of these men were released to the public, her name and face should be released to, esp. since she was the only one who actually committed a crime.

janedoe1113a

I agree with you 100%

shanwalk2

agreed.not fair at all the men are being punished for her being a psycho.

sarah0725

There will probably be some lawsuits.

FutureMrsDudley55

I agree. She needs to be punished. Hopefully they will charge her.

megk8oz

This sorta thing really upsets me, I kinda want to find this girl and beat the crap out of her now.A few years ago I was involved with this guy and for years "things" happened that I didn't want happening. I never came forward to press charges. After years of trying to leave him, the relationship ended with a restraining order (He had taken to stalking me when I tried to break up with him). When we went to court, everything wound up coming out while I was talking with his lawyer (Who was trying to "negotiate" with me, as he felt a restraining order would be defaming my ex's character). The lawyer pretty much told me if I mentioned any of this to the judge, it would turn into a trial and I "would most likely lose due to lack of any evidence" and I wouldn't get my restraining order then.The lawyer agreed to the restraining order if I agreed  to not try pressing charges. While I probably should not have "settled" on such a serious matter, I was also younger, vulnerable, and did not have a lawyer of my own, so I really was just desperate to get myself out.The whole experience was horrible, traumatizing, painful, and extremely embarrassing, and its not something I really enjoy "talking about". So for somebody to come out with a story about this sort of thing that's complete MUD just makes me sick.

cdeshane

I agree, I think she should be charged individually for each one. This is why women don't report rape. Because some girl does something she regrets and tries to blame the man she did it with. There are thousands of rapists that get off the hook because of the question of consent.

Ainslie325

Unfortunately, instances like these do make it harder for true victims to come forward. Lying about sexual assault or sexual abuse is actually quite rare largely because of the intensely private nature of the crime. I worked as a rape crisis counselor and public educator for several years-- I was the non-profit worker who showed up at the hospital to answer victims questions and hold their hand as they were questioned by police and struggled through the rape kit. I would say that 4 out of every 5 victims I saw did not want to proceed with prosecution. Without a cooperative victim, the state usually won't even attempt a court case. Usually, when an adult lies about having been the victim of a sexual assault, the embarrassment of doing something out of her character is often the motivating force behind the lie. In considering which stigma is worse (being the victim of an incredible violation or not measuring up to her own/society's standards of morality), she chooses the former option because of the appearance of blamelessness. It's a horrible thing to do and unequivocally wrong (victimizing her partner(s) in order to protect her own reputation), but I do understand why it happens. The fact that the media loves to publicize these cases just adds to the illusion that this is a crime many people lie about--it predisposes victims to thinking that should they speak up, they won't be believed. One thing to remember is that the word "no" doesn't have to be uttered in order to constitute a sexual assault. If the victim is drunk and isn't able to give informed consent (because he/she is under the influence), it's considered rape under the law. Unfortunately, very often both parties are in a similarly altered state, making the prospect of successful prosecution very shaking and the issue of responsibility very grey. As women, we also don't have a very high threshold of sympathy when it comes to others who are victimized under the influence ("she was stupid to get that drunk...anyone who would allow herself to get into that situation is asking for it..etc."). I'm not saying that's what happened here, but who knows. victims fail to report for many reasons-- feelings of embarrassment, responsibility, anticipation of public judgment or scorn-- it's just too bad that situations like the one that inspired this thread make it even harder. It's estimated that only one third of sexual assaults in the US are actually reported. Cases like this add to the public incredulity that keep victims in the other 2/3 silent.

Bubbalub

"It was traumatizing," he told the station. "It's supposed to be innocent until proven guilty."This. I know it is common practice to immediately believe a person when they report a crime (any crime) but considering there was very little actual evidence of rape (according to this story) to begin with the media should not have been allowed to release the names of those boys at all.That girl should absolutely be charged for each individual false rape charge. She also clearly needs some real counseling because any girl that would do this has serious issues. Cases like this make it harder for rape victims to come forward as they don't feel they will be believed. Question: Can a doctor examining a rape victim, gathering evidence and such, tell the difference between vaginal injuries from rape and vaginal injuries from consensual, rough sex? I'm just curious as I've never really thought about this aspect before.

Puppylove*85

Falsely reporting rape is horrible.  It harms all the real rape victims.

veronabrit

I agreeI think she felt gross for being promiscuous, so she said they raped her. She should be charged.

MissSarah786

Kinsey, I do believe it was recorded because the same exact thing happened to three guys in Sacramento, where I lived. They paid a girl to be in porn with the, she freaked out after it was filmed, and said she was raped. The only way these guys got released is because one of them was smart enough to film the money trading hands with his cell phone camera. She was never arrested.