In Australia, it is estimated that fewer than one in five sexual assaults are reported to police. Having gone through the reporting process herself, Sophie admits that if she’s ever sexually assaulted again – she’ll be keeping it to herself.
Not only did the traumatised young woman have to repeat her story three times that night to different groups of people, she visited the hospital for multiple tests where she also underwent her first ever pap smear – before having to revisit the scene of the crime and walk police through her actions from the day.
Sophie thinks a lot of the lack of empathy she felt and her unease with the experience came from having mainly male police officers. After just being raped by a man, she felt like she couldn’t trust men in general.
Sophie’s rapist was a man she’d never met before, but after finding out his identity, she told police she didn’t want to press charges. The thought of having to go to court and repeat her story again and again and again was all too much.
Source: Reporting rape: If Sophie is ever a victim again, she won’t be reporting it.