The Reasons Why Victims Don’t Report Abuse
It’s not that it didn’t really happen…
I had my lucid moments when I knew how wrong it all had been. How unacceptable, how horrific, how humiliating. I knew when he was just slightly crossing a line and I was fully aware how unforgivably far he went at times. I knew the events that should have been reported — the beating, the sexual abuse… damage of property was the most straightforward and tangible but I had proof of it all; I wore it on or in my body.
And still… It took me years to muster up enough courage to turn to the authorities — deciding that it was enough, I can’t take this anymore, I can’t let him get away with another one. Not this time. Not ever. But seeking justice put me through a different kind of hell — something unknown, something terrifying, something unfair.
A frightening number of abuse, rape, and sexual assault cases go unreported. The number of reported cases is already terrifying, but it clearly is just the tip of the iceberg. According to recent statistics, 3 out of 4 cases will remain unreported due to many reasons…
