Where do the excuses end?

BY: BAILEY A.

Sexual assault is inarguably one of the biggest problems currently facing America. According to the NSVRC (National Sexual Violence Resource Center), “one in five women will be raped at some point in their lives”. They also reported that more than 320,000 people fall victim to sexual assault every year. Even with these alarmingly high statistics, only 63% of sexual assault crimes are actually reported to the police. Why do so many victims struggle to tell their stories? Is it because they don’t want to, or is it because we don’t hold the predators accountable for their actions?

Brett Kavanaugh, former White House staff secretary and current federal judge, was nominated by President Trump to take an open seat on the U.S. Supreme Court. Shortly after the announcement, allegations of sexual assault from Christine Blasey Ford, a professor of psychology at Palo Alto University, came into light. Blasey-Ford claimed that during a party they both attended in the 1980s, Kavanaugh pinned her on a bed, groped her, and covered her mouth to keep her from screaming.

Since the allegation went public, many people took their stances on the situation, passionately showing their support for either Kavanaugh or Blasey-Ford. While many people disapproved of Kavanaugh’s confirmation after the allegations came to light, there were also many people who believed that Kavanaugh shouldn’t be held responsible for his actions because he was “just a drunk teen” at the time of the alleged assault.

At what point, then, do we hold predators responsible for their actions? If his actions were excused by the fact that he was young, does that not send a message to young people to “do it while you’re young” so they won’t be held accountable later on? If his actions were excused by the fact that he was drunk, does that not send a message that sexual assault isn’t a big deal as long as the predator was under the influence?

No matter the circumstances, sexual assault is sexual assault. Many victims go unheard for the exact reason that people will find a way to shut them down. If Brett Kavanaugh did commit these acts against Christine Blasey-Ford, and was able to make it into the highest judicial court in the country, progress with helping victims of sexual assault has taken a serious turn in the wrong direction.