Releasing Names Of Rape

Rape is a terrible tragedy that happens all too often in America. Because rape is such a taboo subject, people avoid talking about it and what the consequences of releasing the victim’s name during a trial may be. Exposing who the victim is can bring even more embarrassment to him or her, but at the same time may provide justice and support for the victim. Moreover, giving the public access to a rape victim is an ultimate invasion of privacy and causes more harm than good. Releasing the names of rape victims to the public does have a few advantages. First of all, it can bring attention to the trial and help the victim get justice because of the attention brought to the case. When the victim’s name is released, people can support him or her …show more content…
This is extremely false and very selfish. Victims of rape are normally ashamed and embarrassed about what happened to them, despite the fact that it was not their fault. Because numerous people are ashamed of their rape and do not want to discuss it, most cases go unreported to the police. “Publicizing the name of a rape complainant under these conditions only deters more victims from coming forward” (End). In fact, “only 344 out of every 1,000 sexual assaults are reported to police. That means about 2 out of 3 go unreported” (RAINN.org, 2015). The reason behind these numbers is that the majority of rapists do not go to jail or prison. Women and men that are victims of sexual assault are too often scared of the outcome because so many rapists are not found guilty. Therefore, not only are the victims of rape embarrassed and terrified, they often have to live with the fact that their rapist is living freely and they can run into him or her at any time. In fact, rape survivors can have severe post-traumatic stress disorder and be triggered, which may cause a flashback (American, 2014). Furthermore, if the littlest of incidents can cause a rape victim to re-experience his or her rape, imagine what would happen if his or her name was released to the public. The victim would be swarmed with news reporters and asked a vast amount of questions about the worst thing that has ever happened to him or her. Not only is this a huge invasion of privacy, but extremely disrespectful. This person that has already sacrificed so much just by reporting the rape, has to testify to the court and explain exactly what happened and relive the atrocious nightmare again. Rape victims do not need nosy people asking him or her to share his or her