6. The vast majority of sexual assault victim-survivors do not report their assault, even though we know the identity of our attacker. Often we are much too traumatized, humiliated, and angry. We fear that a victim-unfriendly legal system will assault and retraumatize us again and again. It’s called “strip and drag” and it is another way of blaming the victim and denying the truth. Some hospitals are known to hire unethical contract defense lawyers to do this "dirty" re-victimization work for them.
Alternatively, perhaps we are told by police or prosecutors that we cannot prove our assault well enough to obtain justice (i.e., "beyond a reasonable doubt," which does not mean beyond a shadow of a doubt). It is as if someone expects a video documentary of the assault, a detailed confession, or a slam-dunk criminal conviction guarantee. If only life were that ideal for us. Thus, the vast majority of predators are never penalized.
The statistics are even worse when the sexual assault occurs under the guise of medicine — because society expects our doctors to be above that. Moreover, women expect our hospitals to keep us safe, but they do not. A doctor who sexually abuses women is the medical equivalent of a pedophile. His acts are even easier to achieve (and conceal) than taking candy away from a baby. Babies at least cry out; but women are silenced by sexual shame. The reality is that some doctors do assault, and hospitals protect their deviant doctors again and again. Do not expect any positive help from a hospital to protect the next woman.
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