[AngstyLady]

As a victim of rape, I couldn't help but click on the story about how Madonna was victimized when she first moved out to NY but chose not to report it (link to the story here: https://celebrity.yahoo.com/news/mad...155546740.html )
at the very end there are some scary statistics:

According to RAINN — the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network — 68 percent of sexual assaults are not reported to police (something I can relate to), and there are about 293,000 victims of the crime a year.

Another scary statistic: 98 percent of rapists will never spend a day in jail or prison.

[ThisWayOut]

Those are very scary stats indeed... though I know I personally never reported at the time, and they wont spend any jailtime either.

[mimsies]

I regularly feel very very guilty about not reporting. I really just feel like this terrible person. It gets quite excruciating.

[AngstyLady]

Originally Posted by mimsies

I regularly feel very very guilty about not reporting. I really just feel like this terrible person. It gets quite excruciating.

Hey, you should never feel bad, it's your choice to report or not- remember, you're the victim here.
Yeah, the first time I was raped I didnt have enough info to identify my attackers and the others times after that I didn't because I felt partially responsible (one was an ex BF), even though when I've shared this with my now bf he assured me it was not my fault. So yeah, I don't want to go through the humiliation of putting it out there, but I do wish harm on the people who've hurt me . . .

Thats so scary. I feel guilty about not reporting too.

[notthisagain]

I am not the least bit surprised by those statistics. Saddened, but not surprised.

To anyone who feels guilty for not reporting it, please don't feel that way. I never reported mine because I felt fragile enough as it is, never mind not feeling like being raked over the coals because it must have somehow been my fault. Hell, I am 40 years old and I just told my mother about it a couple of months ago. It took me 24 years to get up the courage to say something to her, so I can completely understand someone not going to report it right away.

The whole thing with Bill Cosby that erupted a few months ago really triggered me, because I read many comments on other message boards essentially blaming the women, saying it was all made up, and that there must have been an ulterior motive for these women to be speaking up all these years later. No wonder women don't want to say anything.