A victim of a crime should never be afraid to come forward. Reporting a crime is the most effective way to make our community safer by holding offenders accountable. Yet far too often, many default to a position of disbelief or distrust when survivors of sexual assault share their experiences.

When a sexual assault is in any way made public, especially because of the involvement of the criminal justice system, people typically wonder:

• If she was sexually assaulted, then why did she wait to report to law enforcement?
• Why was she drinking so much that night?
• Why did she invite him over?
• What did she think was going to happen?

Sexual assault is a violent criminal act but, for many, sexual assault remains an uncomfortable topic. Whether intentionally or subconsciously, many too easily second-guess a survivor’s response. No two incidents are exactly the same, and there is no uniform response to being assaulted.

When your body is the crime scene, a survivor may vividly recall every detail of their horrific experience while another survivor may remember the event in a fragmented, non-linear manner.

Some survivors are able to speak openly about their assault, while others become anxious and even physically ill at the thought of reliving the experience.

In a community where we have three universities, we need to acknowledge that sexual assault is not uncommon. We should strive to be supportive of survivors. We must encourage them to share their experiences, as the only ways to curb sexual violence are through education and holding perpetrators of sexual assault accountable.

We must combat and discourage tactics such as victim blaming, victim shaming and gaslighting because these actions only embolden perpetrators of sexual violence. To be sexually assaulted and to then have that victimization weaponized is unacceptable, and we must protect survivors from this treatment and a potential lifetime of continued trauma.

As members of our community, we have a moral obligation to support survivors of sexual assault and to encourage them to have their voices heard. The Douglas County District Attorney’s Office will continue to prosecute and try sexual assault cases, and we will do so in a trauma-informed manner and with a victim-centered approach.