Why it could take decades to report sexual assaults (Cleveland.com) September 25, 2018
“In the weeks since Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court, two women have come forward accusing the judge of sexual assault. In response, some people ask: Why come forward now? Why are the details of the incidents so vague? Why weren’t the incidents reported to the police at the time?
“The alleged incidents occurred decades ago, and Kavanaugh has denied they happened.
“The set of details surrounding the Kavanaugh accusations — the fuzzy accounts, the lack of police reports, the long gap between the 1980s, when the women say they happened, and now — are common characteristics of sexual violence cases, Cleveland Rape Crisis Center CEO Sondra Miller said.
“Only a third of sexual assaults are reported to a formal authority, like law enforcement or child services, Miller said. Even then, it can take decades before a someone feels comfortable telling their story.
“Miller sat down with cleveland.com on Monday to discuss sexual violence and provide insight surrounding the Kavanaugh accusations.
This article was originally published by Mary Kilpatrick at Cleveland.com.
“In the weeks since Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court, two women have come forward accusing the judge of sexual assault. In response, some people ask: Why come forward now? Why are the details of the incidents so vague? Why weren’t the incidents reported to the police at the time?
“The alleged incidents occurred decades ago, and Kavanaugh has denied they happened.
“The set of details surrounding the Kavanaugh accusations — the fuzzy accounts, the lack of police reports, the long gap between the 1980s, when the women say they happened, and now — are common characteristics of sexual violence cases, Cleveland Rape Crisis Center CEO Sondra Miller said.
“Only a third of sexual assaults are reported to a formal authority, like law enforcement or child services, Miller said. Even then, it can take decades before a someone feels comfortable telling their story.
“Miller sat down with cleveland.com on Monday to discuss sexual violence and provide insight surrounding the Kavanaugh accusations.