The first response to sexual harassment allegations should not be doubt

Ever since the start of the #MeToo movement began last October, there has been a surge in sexual assault allegations across the U.S., most notably against politicians, celebrities and other powerful figures.

But instead of responding by showing remorse or mediation, the common response has too often been to harshly question the legitimacy of the accusations. Armies of critics swarm comments sections of news articles and Facebook posts, attacking the accuser before the accused. Although it’s possible that the accused is innocent, people should deter from the automatic response of digital vigilantism.

This tendency prevents more women from coming forward to share their stories, but it also prioritizes the reputation of the aggressor over women’s concerns and safety.

One of the most prominent people who has been accused is president Donald Trump, who, as of March 20, has had 19 women come forward to accuse him of sexual harassment and assault, according to USA Today.

A recent case was brought up against Trump in January by Summer Zervos, a former contestant in his show “The Apprentice.” In a New York Supreme Court hearing, Zervos claimed that Trump had sexually assaulted her in 2007.

However, instead of acknowledging that Trump may have been guilty, commentators have questioned why Zervos took 10 years to come forward.

Zervos was accused of lying and only accusing Trump for attention or his money. Unfortunately, equally ubiquitous comments can be found on any news story or post about sexual harassment allegations.

These Facebook comments are spurred, in part, by Trump’s  response, in which he deemed his accusers “liars,” according to Vox News.

High-ranking officials like Trump who blatantly disrespect sexual assault victims make it difficult for the victims’ claims to appear legitimate, further instilling the notion that rapists and sexual offenders around the world can get away with assault.

By denying such claims, offenders contribute to the repugnant culture of victim blaming, which is being used, now more than ever, to discredit the statements of rape victims.

This culture of victim-blaming is not a new concept. In a tragic rape case in 2012, in which a 12-year-old girl was raped at gunpoint by three 16-year-old boys, a critic tweeted that the girl should’ve known what the boy wanted when he invited her over when his parents were out of town, according to Ms. Magazine.

Another said, “[people] should be aware of their surroundings, regardless [of] how drunk you are.”

When women who have been sexually assaulted or harassed come forward to share their stories, our automatic response should not be a condescending “be more careful” or “she shouldn’t have been drunk.” Rather, the people who carried out the assault should be held responsible for their choice to take advantage of the situation.

Victim-blaming isn’t just an issue for allegations against popular and high-ranking individuals. It has also become propagated throughout high schools and colleges.

In the notorious 2016 Santa Clara Superior court case against Stanford swimmer Brock Turner, he was sentenced to six months of jail, three years of probation and registry as a sexual offender. In the end, he served only three months of jail.

Three months of jail for intoxicating and sexually assaulting a 22-year-old woman. The evidence against Turner was overwhelming, with DNA tests and two eyewitnesses proving he had assaulted his victim.

However, despite the evidence against Turner, Turner’s lawyers attempted to place the blame on the victim.

“When you drank the quantity of vodka in the red cup, you drank it all down at once, right? And that was a decision you made, right?” said one of the lawyers.

The fact that Turner served three months in jail for assaulting a woman and leaving her with a traumatic experience that will last her entire life is a testament to the prominence of victim-blaming in the U.S. Turner’s lenient sentence and the lawyers’ attempts to place the blame on the victim sends the message that it is OK to rape or harass and blame it on “party culture.”

The denial and dismissal of sexual assault allegations has continued, with the accused citing a lack of hard evidence or blaming women for seeking publicity and money. All of this has contributed to a culture that sends the message that, in the case of sexual assault allegations, it is somehow always the victim’s fault.

As long as this suspicion of allegations exists and victims’ statements continue to be doubted, sexual harassment and assault will continue to be an epidemic.

Although some court cases do result in fair rulings and punishment of offenders, the trend of questioning the legitimacy of sexual assault claims leads to a society where the offenders receive the benefit of the doubt.

While rape culture won’t disappear overnight, it is important for us to recognize that the first step to getting rid of it is to achieve justice for victims and punishment for offenders.

The only way to attain this is to treat accusations as having merit, followed by thorough investigations to ascertain the truth of the situation.  Only then can women be empowered to continue coming forward with allegations to achieve justice in courts.