Recently, allegations have been spread by women who claim that as teenagers, they were sexually assaulted by Bill Cosby. Some have not made any mention of these crimes until decades later; while others have said that they did report the allegations at the time of the assault, but were not believed. Due to Cosby’s notoriety as a celebrity, this has fueled backlash and criticism against him.
Yet sadly, these claims have also fostered a worrisome defense of a potential rapist. Cosby’s alleged teenaged victims are not the only victims of sexual assault who are dismissed as liars, or feel compelled to carry their stories of sexual abuse as secrets. We, as a nation, grossly overestimate the number of victims of sexual abuse who make false claims. The most reliable studies suggest that only 3 to 8 percent of sexual assault reports are false. And experts have noted that “false allegations of sexual abuse by children and adolescents are statistically uncommon.”
The vast majority of victims of sexual assault are honest about the crime(s) committed against them. When allegations made by young victims of sexual abuse are dismissed as untruthful, it painfully reminds me of an interaction I had with a young patient. She had become pregnant as a teenager after being a victim of molestation and rape for years. When I asked her why she never told anyone about these assaults, her answer astonished me.
She stated that she did, in fact, inform her own parents of these assaults shortly after they occurred. Her claims were met not only by disbelief, but she stated that because she spoke out about her abuse she was banished to live elsewhere. When she finally was able to return home, the abuse continued. She then felt helpless to get someone to believe that the sexual abuse was actually occurring; and further feared that she, the victim, would once again be punished for making such claims.
As a physician and a mother, I immediately wanted to heal this young woman, to go back in time and make it right, to be that person who would believe and support her. But, all I could do was hug her, cry with her, apologize and praise this extraordinary young woman for overcoming tremendous obstacles at such a young age.
This haunting scenario just underscores the fact that we must listen to and assist all young victims of sexual assaults. Rape and all forms of sexual abuse are devastating events. Young victims must overcome feelings of shame, embarrassment, anger and betrayal to trust someone enough to share their story and become brave enough to ask for help. We must be willing to suspend our own disbeliefs and be advocates. Whether our disbelief stems from the fact that the accused is a celebrity, a Christian, a loved one, or just thought to be a good person in general, these vulnerable young people come to us because they believe that we will support them; and we should feel obligated to do so.
No sexual assault victim is immune to fears that their cries for help will fall on deaf ears. But, for the most vulnerable adolescent victims, these fears are far too often realized. A teenager’s delay in reporting sexual assault does not make the allegations less credible; rather it is a sign that someone failed to support or believe a teen at a time of need. It only emphasizes the fact that we, as parents, physicians, educators, law enforcers and as a community as a whole need to destigmatize rape and have resources in place to help these young victims at the time of their assaults.
Victoria Dooley is a family physician and can be reached at Northville-Novi Family Medicine.
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