Picking and Choosing

The Sunday Star Times has an article titled Apology for false rape complaint rejected. The woman who had given an allegedly* false statement about being raped had apologised to police and her neighbours. Except despite what the headline said some neighbours accepted her apology:

One neighbour, who wanted to be known only as Brian, replied to her.

"I just told her to keep her head up and be strong," he said.

He invited her to contact him if she needed support.

"Everybody needs someone to talk to."

Some neighbours were sympathetic to the woman's plight, but others were angry, he said.

Brian urged people not to judge the woman because no one knew the personal struggles she might be dealing with.

I'd just like a moments appreciation for Brian.

Victim Support Counties Manukau manager Michael Donoghue said the false complaint could make rape victims reluctant to complain to police.

"Our fear would be that genuine victims may feel like they won't be taken seriously," he said.

Again the passive tense is used to hire who is doing what. If genuine victims feel like they won't be taken seriously by police it's probably because a lot of police are misogynist assholes who don't believe any woman who has been raped. Police don't disbelieve all accounts of burglary because of one false report. The reason they disbelieve rape survivors, isn't because of false reports, but because of the rape myths they believe.

Now I haven't written about this case before, because I don't feel I know enough of the specifics. But there are two general points I'd like to make. The most basic point is that it's no more likely that people will lay false complaints of rape than false complaints of any other crime (the rate accepted by international researchers is about 2%). The more important points is often false rape complaints are from women who have been raped, and the account is inaccurate, but their experience is real. I hope this woman gets every bit of help she need.

* That's a revenge allegedly, I'm so sick of the 'alleged rape' construction.