Joana Karoshi | Staff Writer

No other crime is treated like sexual assault.

It is the only crime in which victims are judged by their actions. It is the only crime in which the victim must perform “perfectly” to be taken seriously. It is the only crime where victims must extensively prove they endured unmistakable pain. It is the only crime deemed as temptable.

In sexual assault, society does not recognize a clear victim and a clear aggressor, instead the lines are blurred. The victim takes on the shades of a temptress, and the aggressor becomes more and more helpless. Or at the very least, if not a temptress, she was complicit in the act. She went back again, didn’t report on time or wasn’t smart enough. Her actions are scrutinized until his violence feels justified.

This logic does not exist elsewhere. When someone reports a burglary, we don’t ask whether the door was locked. When someone is mugged, we don’t analyze their innocence. But when someone reports sexual assault, belief comes with conditions.

Pretending that this attitude is not rooted in archaic beliefs about women’s sexuality is dishonest. The belief that women’s bodies are inherently sexual and that men can’t help but behave carnally is instilled in society. Women are expected to be perfect around men who are allowed to be animals.

And you may think you could never hold such an old-fashioned idea, but it is ingrained in our culture. The way we portray women in movies and pop culture, and how the media and the government respond to victims makes this image increasingly more evident.

In light of the Epstein files, we have understood that, still, after the #MeToo movement, women are often treated as objects of pleasure. That misogyny is alive and working overtime. The fact that headlines are constantly filled with government leaders committing the most gruesome crimes against women is terrifying. And after many years, with many testimonies of women tearing their hearts out, women are still ignored.

The psychology of trauma is complex and nonlinear, yet victims are punished for responding imperfectly. We judge them for not reporting. We judge them for reporting too late. We judge them for going back. We judge them for who they were before it happened. And we comfort ourselves by insisting we would never do those things — we would never wear that, go there, be those kinds of girls.

If you are raped, make sure you have no sexual past.

Don’t drink. Don’t party. Don’t put yourself in “compromising situations.”

Make sure you wear nothing that could be labeled revealing.

Make sure you report immediately. But give yourself time to be sure your story is right.

Make sure there is nothing — nothing — that could suggest you wanted it; that you teased him, that you tempted him.

And make sure he is not a powerful individual. You may not get justice.

As these troubling events continue to unfold, it’s worth remembering what actually matters. This situation is not about online outrage, political agendas or conspiracies; it is about women and girls who were abused.

This time is not a moment for jokes or irony. Minimizing survivors’ pain only protects abusers and silences victims. If someone you know has experienced sexual abuse, stand by them. Listen. Believe them.

And if you are a survivor, know this: what happened to you does not define your character or your worth. It speaks only to the actions of the person who harmed you.

Letter from the editors: If you are a victim of sexual assault, Baylor has resources available. Anonymous reports can be made through the Title IX website.