This past year, we’ve seen substantial progress toward empowering rape survivors to come forward, but it is no secret that the process is still a blame-and-shame game—a long and arduous process that rarely results in justice. Victims, who have already gone through unimaginable trauma, are forced to endure hours of questioning and physical examinations. This is, of course, necessary in investigating any crime, but rape is very often not given the serious treatment it deserves.
This video from Cynthia Kao darkly depicts what it would be like if a robbery report was treated like a rape report. It’s funny, but boy does it sting.
One would think we have evolved enough as a society to deem those details superfluous and irrelevant—what a woman was wearing or whether she was drinking, for example—when it comes to the unsolicited and non-consensual actions of another human being. Alas, those circumstances are still pertinent to law officers and officials around the country.
We can laugh at videos like this, but they’re an important reminder of how our society still fails to treat women as autonomous human beings. Breaking the silence of victims of sexual assault is essential for making any progress in the prevention of rape, but coming forward isn’t easy in a culture that devalues women’s voices and shames and vilifies those who seek help.
Images c/o Huffington Post, YouTube
