Thank you so much for this post! As someone who has become more public with my story the last few years because I am working with others on action, I really appreciate your insight here. As an abolitionist, I am going to assume you’re most likely familiar with Mariame Kaba but she speaks a lot about the idea of compulsory confession and what BS that is to put on victim-survivors.
There are so many assumptions made about victim-survivors (I personally identify as a victim, I don’t think it’s a bad word and survivor just doesn’t fit for me). I went through a trial as a victim of SA by an assistant coach at my HS when I was 16 in 2007. I think many have good intentions when they tell me I’m brave for testifying (I was subpoenaed) or they’re glad I got justice because the offender was convicted of multiple charges against myself and others but I certainly never said I thought it was justice. The media and society has co-opted so much of the #metoo movement to be about who is being charged in the criminal punishment system and so many people are so voyeuristic trying to find details of SA rather than examining what victim-survivors actually need or how the systems and institutions we have now fail us.
Thank you so much for this post! As someone who has become more public with my story the last few years because I am working with others on action, I really appreciate your insight here. As an abolitionist, I am going to assume you’re most likely familiar with Mariame Kaba but she speaks a lot about the idea of compulsory confession and what BS that is to put on victim-survivors.
There are so many assumptions made about victim-survivors (I personally identify as a victim, I don’t think it’s a bad word and survivor just doesn’t fit for me). I went through a trial as a victim of SA by an assistant coach at my HS when I was 16 in 2007. I think many have good intentions when they tell me I’m brave for testifying (I was subpoenaed) or they’re glad I got justice because the offender was convicted of multiple charges against myself and others but I certainly never said I thought it was justice. The media and society has co-opted so much of the #metoo movement to be about who is being charged in the criminal punishment system and so many people are so voyeuristic trying to find details of SA rather than examining what victim-survivors actually need or how the systems and institutions we have now fail us.