The justice system is failing survivors of sexual assault. For every sexual assault that has an outcome where justice is served, there are thousands of cases where justice never comes. Out of every 1,000 rapes, 994 perpetrators will walk free. These criminals walk free, while the survivors carry their sexual assault with them everywhere they go. They are forced to continue to attend classes with their rapists. They start each day knowing their rapist is walking free while they feel imprisoned by their own fear.
The justice system fails survivors in far too many ways. The statute of limitations lets perpetrators such as Bill Cosby get away with crimes they have committed for years. By the time a survivor can get the courage to tell the police what happened, nothing can be done.
In the times that a survivor does have the courage to tell the police what happened, they are often met with a less-than-ideal response. They are asked questions such as: "Well, what were you wearing?" and, "Were you drinking?" Neither of these factors affect consent. Blame is shifted from the perpetrator to the victim. These survivors already have to deal with the trauma of sexual assault and then, on top of that, they now have to deal with being shamed.
Even when a case goes to trial, justice is not even close to guaranteed. Survivors are torn apart on the stand. The verdict of "not guilty" is given out far too often. As the Stanford case has proven, a guilty verdict does not even mean justice will be served. A guilty verdict can be given and the sentence can reflect the hard truth: The justice system fails survivors of sexual assault. A survivor will carry their assault with them for their entire life while the perpetrator will carry on with no consequences.
There is no one reason that the justice system is failing in this realm–there are many reasons. Change comes too slow. The law is not adapting to a rapidly changing society. We live in a society that strongly preferences white males. The statute of limitations system needs to be revised and changed, victim-blaming needs to end. We need to focus on helping survivors instead of letting perpetrators go free.
I wish that survivors of sexual assault weren't afraid to go tell the police about what happened to them. I wish that the justice system would stop allowing perpetrators to go free. I wish that more survivors didn't fear what will happen when they speak out about what happened to them. I wish the first question people ask after hearing about a sexual assault wasn't, "Well, were they drinking?"
The system needs to change and it needs to change now. We cannot continue to let this happen. We cannot continue to let perpetrators of sexual assault walk around as if there are no consequences. Not only does it make our world far more unsafe, but it invalidates the survivor. Survivors have to deal with their rapist being treated in a more humane way than they were. That is completely unacceptable.
I know that the system cannot change overnight, but it can start now. It can start with a changing mentality. Speak out against victim-blaming. If someone tells you about their sexual assault, support them. Remind them that what happened to them isn't their fault. While the justice system may be failing survivors of sexual assault, you don't have to.
As we change and grow, I can only hope and dream that the justice system will follow.