PAVE (Promoting Awareness, Victim Empowerment) was saddened by the editorial titled ""Don't Forget Victims of False Rape Accusations"" by Pierce Harlan and E. Steven Berkimer that appeared in the Daily Cardinal on April 30. The remarks in this article were very harmful to our campus community.
Rape is the most underreported crime. The Bureau of Justice statistics show that 60 percent of sexual assaults are not reported, and a national victimization study found that only 5 percent of college women reported to campus law enforcement. Many victims may be reluctant to come forward to report their rapes because they fear they will not be supported. Unfortunately, negative experiences with the criminal justice system has created an atmosphere of mistrust for many victims of sexual violence. They have heard that the criminal justice system have not trusted the stories of other victims, doubted the strength of their ""evidence"" or questioned whether they could have somehow reduced their risk of being victimized. However, all sexual assaults that occur are real; whether they were reported to police does not affect their validity.
One of the most important ideas to understand when calling a victim's story into question is the distinction between false and unfounded reports of rape. Throughout yesterday's article, the word ""false"" is used to describe all cases in which a victim's story was not upheld. We believe that a false report is one in which the accuser did not tell the truth about the particular incident that they are reporting. In contrast, an unfounded report is one in which there was not enough evidence for a criminal investigation, for a case to develop, and/or when the perpetrator is not prosecuted. Although many rapes may never go to trial, it does not mean they did not happen.
PAVE respects the right to express a wide variety of opinions. However, when our campus is focusing on believing victims and supporting those who have been hurt, it's important to remember that the facts are clear: False reporting does not happen frequently, and claims to the contrary do not create a campus environment safe for victims to report their experiences.
—Katie Simons
PAVE Media Advocate
Promoting Awareness, Victim Empowerment
