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Hollywood celebrities are among thousands of sexual assault survivors sharing heartbreaking stories on social media about why they didn't report their attackers straight away. The #WhyIDidntReport hashtag started in response to a tweet by US President Donald Trump questioning whether Dr Christine Blasey Ford was ever really sexually assaulted by Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh: "If the attack on Dr Ford was as bad as she says, charges would have been immediately filed with local Law Enforcement Authorities by either her or her loving parents."
The truth is, there are a million and one reasons why survivors of rape and assault don't go to the authorities straight away. Fear of not being believed, shame, psychologically distraught - just to name a few.
For Insatiable star Alyssa Milano, she hadn't even told those closest to her:
For Ashley Judd (who so bravely came forward last year about Harvey Weinstein and triggered a wave of stories of abuse by people in positions of power), it was a clear case of not being believed and victim-blaming:
For Riverdale star Lili Reinhart, keeping quiet seemed the only way to keep everything else in her life from falling apart:
Because I didn’t want to lose my job or make people think I was a drama queen. #WhyIDidntReport
— Lili Reinhart (@lilireinhart) September 21, 2018
And then there are those who DO report to police and are devastatingly failed by the system. Like Patricia Arquette and Daryl Hanna:
I gave up “reporting” after I called the police at 12 after a man masturbated at me from his car. I gave the cops his license plate number and description. They didn’t come to take a report and never contacted me again. They did nothing #WhyIDidntReport
— Patricia Arquette (@PattyArquette) September 22, 2018
I did, it didn’t matter, I was dismissed, disparaged, & I still get blamed #WhyIDidntReport
— Daryl Hannah (@dhlovelife) September 21, 2018
We reckon one of the most important messages in response to President Trump's tweet comes from Law & Order star Mariska Hargitay:
The lack of understanding about a survivors state of mind is one reason survivors don’t come forward. The boys club attitudes, rape culture, willful ignorance, misplaced blame & doubt...are also reasons survivors don’t come forward. I believe you Dr. Blasey Ford #BelieveSurvivors
— Mariska Hargitay (@Mariska) September 22, 2018
