As trauma mental health professionals, we know survivors of sexual assault do not always run far and fast from their abusers.
This would have been demonstrably true in the case of Weinstein and his accusers. Even after the alleged acts of sexual violence, there would have been no escaping him. The power and control Weinstein wielded would have brought unrelenting, reverberating stress into every aspect of his victims' lives and forced them into isolation. There was nowhere he couldn't reach in the Hollywood universe.
Even if women did try to speak up, nondisclosures were signed and silence was bought. Perhaps that is why there are years of alleged abuse history and more than 80 women with similar stories about Weinstein who didn't know about one another or were afraid to reach out—and are just now coming forward.
Our culture only further perpetuates the silence. Many victims do not disclose because when they share their experiences, they are so often met with negative responses. Many women we have worked with report that people responded to their disclosures with disbelief, questioning not only their traumatic experiences but their character. Rather than engaging the victims and getting them help, people instead label the assaultor a bad hook-up—or respond with blame, criticism and judgment.
Some people attempt to minimize sexual assault experiences, saying it is no big deal and to quickly get over it. At best, these responses might be seen asHarvey Weinstein arrives at New York City criminal court for his sex crimes trial on January 9 in New York City. Weinstein, a movie producer whose alleged sexual misconduct helped spark the #MeToo movement, pleaded not guilty on five counts of rape and sexual assault against two unnamed women and faces a possible life sentence in prison.
Furthermore, some women who experience forced, unwanted sex do not initially label it as rape. These women have been referred to in the scientific literature asvictims. Their perpetrators typically use less force, and thus the violation might initially not fully register.
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