Sexual assault and rape, by their very nature, are difficult crimes to prosecute. All too often, these violations don’t occur in clear-cut circumstances. The stereotype of a sexual assault is what is sometimes called “stranger rape”, where an unknown man forces himself upon a woman, perhaps in a dark and lonely public area. In reality, most assaults do not fit this pattern. Most of them occur within a relationship.
Sexual assaults rarely occurs in public. In fact, in most cases, there are no witnesses. There may also be other factors that complicate the reporting of an assault.
All of these factors need to be considered when thinking about how best to create a system where a victim of assault feels sufficiently safe and supported to report her assault to the police. She should, ideally, be in a position to make an informed decision about whether or not to file charges against her attacker. And she should know how to proceed if she decides to do so and what she might expect as a consequence.
This is why, as The National reported yesterday, this newspaper believes that specialised centres, separate from police stations, would be an important addition to the current system.
In the particular circumstances of the UAE, a place where a woman could go to receive treatment and support and where evidence of the assault could be collected, would be a good way to get more people to seek help. Even if every case does not end in prosecution (or conviction), it would be a step forward just to be able to help victims work through their feelings of defilement, shame or anger. This is a difficult argument to make because we instinctively feel that crime should be punished and its perpetrator receive his due.
But the other factors at play also need to be recognised. In conservative families of whatever religion, there is a social stigma attached to being raped. Making an accusation is a serious step and one that needs to be considered calmly, not in the heat of the moment.
That is why if a woman who has been the victim of an assault feels that she can go to a specialised centre, be helped and heard, but crucially, not immediately pushed towards filing a police case, she will be reassured enough to avail herself of the centre’s services. Only then can she decide what her next step should be.
