Why Don’t Women Report Their Attackers?

This article is about a study that was done about the percentage of women who actually report their attackers. This study showed that only a small “seven percent of women worldwide report gender-based violence against them.” This article points out that in countries like India there have been many things that should have sparked an interest in the topic, but simply haven’t. They talk about the strategies that have been used to spread, and advocate for this problem; some of them may need to be changed. They also report that very few women even report to a family member or friend, but it is more likely for this to happen. They study showed that it was more likely for the women to tell an unofficial source if the people were living in poverty. The article also speaks about how the women aren’t talking and reporting because they don’t get the support they need when they do. The doctors, police, and other official sources do not show that they care about the situation and are doing something about it.

As I was reading through the article I was thinking that what they women in the study were saying was true, especially from other countries. They don’t get the support they need. Instead they get sent home later to find out nothing happens. What needs to change to encourage these women to report? What needs to change for the official reporters to show they care, or are actually going to do something about the situation? Thoughts?

Taylor Lowman