22. We want to be taken seriously when we say we were raped. Know that one in four women will be raped during her lifetime. When a woman is raped and feels brave enough to report, she has to relive her hell over and over again just to put the violence on record. First she has to get a physical exam of the area that has been violated, then she has to describe the attack, to a cop, to a lawyer, to a judge and maybe even to a jury. That is if the cop even takes her seriously and if the case even goes to trial. Most cases don’t and often the victim gets blamed for the attack. She will face harassment and humiliation, only for the fact that she seeks justice. Think about the last time you called a woman a liar for talking about what happened to her. If you have never done this, more power to you. However if you automatically consider a rape victim a liar, don’t! If you want to give women a real reason to trust you as a man, stop your friends from telling rape jokes, tell people off for calling a victim a liar, do not automatically assume she made it up. Most women are too afraid to talk about this. Women who do speak up need support, not harassment.
