If you were sexually molested (heaven forbid, and may this never happen to any of you), would you report the incident?

As a man, living where I do, I see no inherent risk of this ever taking place.

I might be tempted to just put it behind me and move on. I like justice, but our system takes a lot of time and puts a lot of pressure on the victim.

I did experience rape and no I refused, at the time to do anything. Even counseling. I was young about 23.

I was also talked to inappropriately by a man at the office. Someone reported him, and the forensic team flew down to interview a number of girls who had laid complaints against him. Asked if I would appear in court, I said no.

I can’t explain this even today.

If it happened to me now, yes I would. I feel that before I didn’t fight for myself, and that now I should.

That’s why the process is sometimes called a “second rape”. The violence of the act subject the victim for more violence from the offender by attempting to bring justice.

Sometimes I think it is getting better, then you hear of assholes like the legislator in New Mexico who says aborting a pregnancy from a rape is evidence tampering. People like that sicken me.

I have been, and I did not.

I guess I can’t KNOW how I would react in a situation like that. Seems like the emotions would be too overwhelming to truly predict.

However, from my point of view right now, I would report the shit out of that motherfucker. If I were assaulted I would be pissed and I would want him to suffer.

What happened to me is not even close to a woman being raped. I can’t even comprehend how horrible that is.

When I was in kindergarten (back in 1956) my Grandmother gave me a one dollar bill and a wallet. I showed the dollar to an older boy who took it from me. He said that he would give it back if I gave him a BJ. Of course I didn’t know what that was or how to do it so he demonstrated on me behind some bushes. I tried to do it on him but I didn’t do it right. He was very mad and kept my dollar and ran away. I didn’t tell anyone about this perhaps because the dollar didn’t mean much to me and I didn’t realize that I had been violated. Years later I understood what had happened but still let it go. I had never mentioned this to anyone until now.

I didn’t after the two times I was raped. The first time was when I was 15. I told two friends of mine after it happened and they didn’t believe me. I didn’t tell anyone else after that. I felt helpless, confused, sad, frightened and dirty. I just wanted to forget about it. I was 20 the second time it happened to me. I felt the same feelings as I did the first time. I was never angry. I just wanted the awful feelings to go away. I was moving 2000 miles away the next week, so I didn’t tell anyone. I knew the people who raped me. I think my feelings would have been different if they had been strangers. I think I would have gone to authorities if they had been strangers.

I feel the same as @Shippy now that I’m older. If it happened to me now, yes I would. I feel that before I didn’t fight for myself, and that now I should.

I also have been and did not. I was young and confused and just wanted the whole situation to go away. The rapist was my boss. I would have also lost my job. I did tell a friend who pretty much said things like that happen to women and I should just get over it. This occurred at a time when victim blaming was the norm.

When I was a child, I didn’t open my mouth. If I had, I may have prevented the abuse of other children who suffered much worse than I did in that situation, and I still feel guilt about that to this day.
When I was a teenager, I filed a police report, but didn’t press charges. My story sounds similar to @jonsblond‘s in that, my friends sort of rolled their eyes at me about it. I just wanted to forget about it and I lost the nerve to press charges. I figured if my friends didn’t take me seriously, why would anyone else?

Now? As was said above I do think that if I were in that position again I would feel the need to stand up for myself in a way that I was not able to do before.

Sort of like if you and I went camping and we brought along some hooch and got hammered one night, you woke up and found Vaseline and other stuff squishing out of your bottom, would you tell anyone?

I didn’t, I was very young and scared, there would be no point now as the guy is dead. If it happened to me as an adult then yes, I would report it so that the person could be bought to justice and not be able to harm anyone else.