Reply to New Sexual Assault Case. What school?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I'm telling you guys, these anonymous instagram posts are full of BS. If someone really got assaulted, it should by all means be investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Administrators who turned a blind eye should also be held accountable. BUT these "black at *****" and "female at ******" where ANYONE can just submit an anonymous claim... don't ever underestimate the power of bored teenagers (and adults) sitting at home ready to write fan fiction. Or people with a grudge against someone or their family. I could literally go on that account right now and claim to be a high school girl who was assaulted at Blair. And I don't even live in Maryland![/quote]

I agree.   They do serve to highlight that systemic racism happens everywhere, but I would not take individual stories to heart.  Not on the internet, and certainly not from anonymous posters.[/quote]

I have 2 kids at an MCPS school which has a survivors at instagram account.  Many of the posted stories are well known to them already, having heard and/or witnessed events.

I'll tell you from a female point of view (as an adult) and from the point of view of my HS aged female child -- the problem is YOU in that you (and many other adults in positions of power) would prefer to believe these stories are made up.  In 12 years of raising 2 kids in the MCPS system, I can tell many horrifying stories about racism and sexism.  W/reference to sexism, in MCPS, I have seen a number of verifiable sexual assault incidents go unreported and unpunished.  And then there is the plethora of sexual assault and harassment cases that are sub-criminal but still unacceptable -- that teacher that stares at your boobs or talks about sexual things?  not a crime.  The boy that tries to kiss you without consent.  No one is going to believe you or treat it as a sexual assault.  The teacher that continually criticizes your dress-code allowed clothing?  also not a crime, not reportable, not considered an offense of any kind and teacher will not be corrected. [/quote]
DP.. I have both a boy and girl, and I have been touched inappropriately when I was in HS (and beyond).  I believe sh1t like this still happens in HS, of course. BUT, anonymous posting on social media accusing a boy of xyz is not the way to deal with it.

A person up thread responded to me saying that girls don't report these incidences because of fear and shame. How well I know that. I went through the same thing in HS. I posted this up thread.. I was too embarrassed.  BUT, again, anonymous posting is not the way to deal with it.   This leads to too much false accusations. As much as a girl's reputation and life can be impacted by this assault, a boy's life, too, can be impacted by false accusations.

If your DD was accused of cheating or stealing would you be ok with someone posting this on the internet without her being able to prove her innocence?  Girls can be mean to each other and slam each other by spreading rumors and false accusations about a girl. Would you be ok with that? I'm guessing not.  How do you even know the person posting is being truthful? It's like you believing every post on dcum is true.  [/quote]

It is false to suggest that these stories are all naming names.  For example, the "survivors at bcc" instagram account is not naming survivors nor minor children. (They are naming adult teachers.)  So, no school-aged boy is being accused by name.  The fact that many students know the name attached to a particular story, even if the posting doesn't disclose the name, is a function of the fact that survivors and their perpetrators talk.  So a girl who survives a sexual assault may talk to friends about it, may confront the boy about it, who may respond in ways that acknowledge that the incident did in fact take place, etc.

It is impossible and immoral, IMO, to suggest that victims should remain quiet about these incidents unless they report the incident to police and/or have a conviction.  So much of what happens is either not "criminal" or criminal but not actionable or criminal but actionable but systems refuse to conduct legitimate prosecution/recourse that the girls have developed their own whisper network to protect themselves.  IMO, this is a predictable consequence of having a criminal justice and educational system, both of which fail to protect school age victims of sexual assault and harassment.

Anonymous posting happens when existing systems of justice/recourse/protection aren't working. If you want to stop anonymous posting, you have to offer legitimate working forms of recourse that make victims feel that those channels are safe and effective.  That doesn't happen at all (yet).  [/quote]

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