Abusers are often hiding in plain sight, can be anyone – charming, loving, even ‘absolute delights.’ These people often wear a friendly facade.
The reality is, even serial rapists with 31 victims can be called “a kind-hearted hero and a father figure” by their family who “had no idea” and “were beyond shocked”.
Because it is entirely possible for a man to be both a great friend and colleague, or a loving family man, and still be a vicious sexual predator. Predators, abusers, and rapists are rarely the dark and shady trope we see on TV or in movies.
The truth is they are our brothers, fathers, colleagues, friends, that lovely guy who serves us coffee each morning. They walk amongst us, smiling politely.
They do not reveal their capacity for violence in every interaction or relationship. This skill is often how they groom their victims in the first place.
The reality is the vast majority of sexual assault – 97 percent in Australia – is perpetrated by men.
Despite false reports of abuse being a common trope in fiction – and a staggering one in five Australians believing women routinely invent or exaggerate claims – the data does not support this fear.
“False” reporting of sexual assault actually sits somewhere between 2 and 7 percent of all reports, which is slightly lower than false reporting for other types of crimes. But, unlike other crime types, these numbers are wildly inflated by the inclusion of reports withdrawn out of fear or trauma, or cases that have gone unproven.
Source: Abusers are some of the nicest people you’ll ever meet