Speak up

It is indeed unfortunate that most of the cases of sexual violence go unreported in India. There are many reasons for the same. But today I am going to enumerate three reasons for which the victims of sexual violence must come forward and report their cases.

1. You have done no wrong.

The victims must understand that they have done no wrong. Most of the times the victims feels that they are the reason for what happened to them. They feel that had they not stepped out that day, had they been wearing some other dress, had they been more docile, the evil act could have been avoided. They feel terribly guilty. They feel they have been defiled. Actually it is the other way round. It is the perpetrator of the crime who is the wrong doer and not the victim. Not only is the perpetrator a wrong doer but also a pervert and a criminal in the eyes of law. So it is the duty of every citizen to book a criminal. So the victims must shed away their inhibitions, understand that if they do not report the case, the evildoer will never be exposed. You are survivors my dears and not wrongdoers. Every survivor must live with pride so that others who are suffering will get an encouragement to live.

2. He has done it to you, he may do it to someone else

You have gone through it. You know the pain of being sexually assaulted. You know how the not only the body but also self-esteem is crushed by the evil act. Now if you do not repor the case, what will happen? The culprit will go and find another vulnerable person and assault him/her to satisfy his lust. Merely because you are not reporting your case, the beast is free out there. Not only is he free but he preying to hunt another victim. By your non-reporting you are indirectly encouraging him to assault another person. You having yourself been a victim, the last thing you want is someone else suffer such a ghastly act. You have to protect the potential victims. That is the reason I feel you should report the cases of sexual violence.

3. Police can’t do anything unless you come forward.

The acts of sexual violence are such that usually they do not take place in public places. So others will not know that a crime has been committed against you, until you step forward and complain about the same. Others includes police as well. The courts, the police cannot do anything unless and until someone comes with a formal complaint. You want the criminal to be punished. So you must come forward and formally report about the crime. It is a very simple thing. You can even write a letter or e-mail to the police narrating your plight, if you aren’t comfortable to say it with your mouth.

So please ensure that all forms of sexual violence gets reported. Save yourself from any future attacks and even the humanity at large. 

“I’m writing this blog post to support Amnesty International’s #KnowYourRights campaign at BlogAdda. You can also contribute to the cause by donating or spreading the word.”