STAND UP OR STAND DOWN?
As we acknowledge Brett Kavanaugh’s new position as Associate Justice on our Supreme Court, the recurrent cases of sexual assault that have arisen in the last few years have begun to portray the issue towards which we have grown blind: The current justice system for sexual assault victims needs to improve. The #meetoo movement has gotten a lot of visibility but perpetuators haven’t necessarily been brought to justice.
Recent cases, such as that concerning Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation to the Supreme Court, support this argument. It’s obvious that our justice system is in need of reformation. Nowadays, America constantly faces the dilemma of who is credible and who is not. Usually, it is up to our justice system to determine the truth and eliminate falsehoods and usually powerful and “accomplished” men control the scales of justice.
However, in our political climate, this never-ending battle between true and false has served to highlight not only the battle of the sexes that has existed for ages, but also cast doubt in the credibility of America’s highest court of justice.
Supporters of Kavanaugh believe that the justice system is biased towards men, finding men guilty more often than women. Supporters of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, the accuser, believe that the age of oppressing women must end and that the first step in doing so is eliminating the unjust balance of our judicial system.
This dynamic between the two sides has caused less women to speak up against sexual assault, which essentially leads to more of sexual assault because men are seldom brought to account, especially men of privilege. While many women have also found strength in Dr. Ford’s testimony to speak out when before, they would not have dared, many other women remain scared to speak out in fear of being criticized or shut down.
An example of constant criticism that many sexual victims face is presented in the Kavanaugh case. President Donald J. Trump openly mocked Ford for her accusation towards Kavanaugh, essentially claiming that she lacks credibility and solely testified to taint Kavanaugh’s public image. The President of the United States himself could not muster any sympathy for Ford or her struggles, which essentially discourages women to stand up against powerful men.
A high school female student at the Awty International School. , says, “Honestly, if I were put in the same situation, it would be hard to stand up because people would call me a liar and I would probably never get justice. By saying what [Donald Trump] said, it made women everywhere feel attacked and ashamed of being sexually assaulted.”
It is evident that the leaders of this country, especially those with power, need to take more action in making victims of assault, regardless of whether they are lying or not, comfortable enough to speak out.
There is also evidence that the case investigation was not thorough enough. Many believe Ford and Kavanaugh should have been re-interviewed, as they believe that the FBI did not do a thorough search of his background. It is suspected by some that the investigation was incomplete and there would have been a more valid and widely-accepted conclusion, if it were more thorough.
Regardless of backlash, Kavanaugh has now been confirmed to the Supreme Court. However, the doubt surrounding his innocence and the possibility that he did sexually assault someone, has damaging implications.
Rewarding leaders with allegations of sexual assault, implies that sexual predators will not face the consequences for their actions. This creates a threatening climate in which dangerous men are emboldened by the belief that they will not be punished.
Furthermore, if people who are suspected of sexually assaulting someone are not punished and instead are granted leadership positions, survivors of sexual assault are discouraged from speaking up. Why speak up if you believe that you will never get justice?
Highly publicized cases, such as the Kavanaugh case, impact society’s perception of the reliability of the victim’s testimony. Many believe that Ford is lying to get attention and to turn people against Kavanaugh.
A male, 10th-grade Awty student remarks, “I don’t think she is entirely credible because although this may have happened, she only brought it up when Brett Kavanaugh was nominated.”
The difficulty in ascertaining the facts, reflects modern America’s ongoing dilemma — discerning the truth from “fake news”. Today’s reality of doubt can have a negative impact on survivors of sexual assault, who may never speak up for fear of being shot down.
The challenge of finding truth in the Kavanaugh case is aggravated by the millions of sexual assault cases where victims do not get the justice they deserve. In a perfect world there is always justice and those who are sexually assaulted always feel safe to speak up. However, this is not a perfect world.
The implications of this trial can be seen in a survey taken by Awty students, in which they were asked if they would feel safe enough to stand up. The results showed that sixty-six percent of the students felt that they could speak up in the event they were assaulted. While the numbers reflect that the majority of students consider Awty a safe environment, there are still students who don’t feel confident that they would be believed.
In conclusion, it is imperative to undertake some radical changes to our modern social culture in the near future. So that, as more sexual assault cases come to light, more sexual assault victims can speak up without fear and see justice served.
