I honor of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, please read this op ed co-authored by FISA’s executive director, Kristy Trautmann with Kristen Houser, Chief Public Affairs officer of PA Coalition Against Rape:
It’s ‘he said, she said’ by design
Published om TribLive on March 31, 2019
(excerpt) We’ve lost track of the number of times recently that we’ve heard someone end a conversation about sexual harassment or abuse with a shrug and “It’s a he-said-she-said situation.” What they mean, invariably, is there is reason to doubt reports of sexual misconduct or assault if the woman reporting the abuse is unable to produce any clear proof of what happened. This is exactly what people who act abusively want you to think.
“He said, she said” could be considered one of the defining elements of sexual assault. People who act abusively do so on purpose, and they take many steps to avoid being caught or reported. There is rarely conclusive evidence such as video or photographic documentation or eyewitnesses — they make sure of it.
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