For sexual assault survivors, the threat of public disbelief can be daunting, but that feeling is amplified when the assaulter is a public figure or celebrity. Public figures who have been charged with sexual abuse should be handled in the same manner as any other abuser, regardless of their social status or money.
Thanks to the #MeToo Movement, public figures such as Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey and Bill Cosby have been silenced. As more men and women find the courage to report their offenders, other abuse survivors also step forward.
However, other prominent figures have avoided their charges largely in part to their social status. The accusations against rapper R. Kelly is just one of the recent incidences of celebrities unfairly cutting corners. Beginning in 2000, Kelly has had a multitude of sexual abuse allegations, according to NPR. In December 2000, the Chicago Sun-Times printed allegations of Kelly having sex with minors. Two years later, Kelly was indicted with 21 counts of child pornography, but in 2008, he was acquitted of all charges.
“Sexual predators are a scourge on society,” Cook County State’s Attorney Richard Devine said of the indictment. “This indictment should send a clear message that illicit acts with minor children will not be tolerated in the community.”
In January 2019, LifeTime released a mini series, “Surviving R. Kelly,” that details accusations against the rapper and speaks with abuse survivors. Kelly was arrested after the airing of the series, but was released and then arrested again.
Just because the alleged abuser is in the public spotlight does not mean he or she should be able to get out of receiving a trial. For the majority of survivors, it is already immensely difficult to come forward and report the assault. When their abuser is in the public light, survivors feel pressured to stay silent.
A Standford group called Men Against Abuse Now stated that “only about 40 percent of rapes are ever reported to the police, and this is partly because victims know that if their claim becomes public, their every behavior will be scrutinized, they will be shamed for their sexual history, and they will be labeled as lunatic, psychotic, paranoid and manipulative.”
According to RAINN, out of every 1,000 sexual abusers, 520 will be released while awaiting trial. As soon as an accusation has been made of a public figure, people are quick to scrutinize the accuser before looking at the facts. Many are quick to say that it could be a false report, yet according to Connecticut Alliance to End Sexual Violence, only 2 percent of allegations have been proven false.
In order for survivors and women’s rights advocates to have any feeling of justice or ease, the abuser must be held accountable regardless of their fame. By consistently holding all abusers accountable, the justice system will be the supposed fair system it was meant to be.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, call the National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 800-656-HOPE (4673) or visit online.rainn.org.
