Why Enough is Enough for Women Right Now

Trigger and content warning: this article addresses sexual assault and sexual harassment.

“Not everyone who claims they’ve been raped is telling the truth.”

How many times have I heard that in my career? In my personal life?

Honestly, too many to count. Too many to feel like the solution to believing survivors will happen anytime soon.

Yes, it is true. False rape claims exist. Depending on the country, false claims can make up between 2% to 8% of all rape claims. So worst-case scenario, for every 100 women speaking up about their sexual trauma, 92 are telling the truth. These are reported cases. There are plenty more women who have been raped but will not come forward. This lowers the false claim percentage to well below 1% if you consider the women who stay silent.

Unless there is insurmountable evidence otherwise, I’m going to believe the survivor.

He said.

She said.

How many men lie about not perpetrating rape?

Well, there’s not a statistic for that.

Because the question isn’t asked.

So what makes it okay in our society to ask if a woman is lying about her trauma but not question if a man is lying about his actions…