Should a woman who makes a rape accusation about a man be automatically believed?

[Anonymous]

[hellionthesage]

No, thats stupid. Why would you believe some one without evidence? To do so is to say that she is superior to the man and that a mans life is not important enough to bother checking facts for. He doesn't matter he isn'r a person so if his life is destroyed be a false accusation or a misremembered event then it doesn't matter what matters is her peace of mind not his life. Men accused of rape, no matter if they are proven innocent or not never live it down. Their life is ruined their reputation is ruined, it will affect their jobs (it looks bad hiring an accused rapist, proven innocent or not) it affects them socialy mentally etc. One man was accused of rape (despite the fact that he was on the other side of the city at the time of the supposed rape). His fiance dumped him, he was dishonorably discharged from the military, he was arrested and put into prison for years, came out and his friends and family refused to interact with him cutting him off completely from every one. He was forced to sign up as a sex offendor limiting where he could go what he could do who he could interact with and then had to go around telling every one that he was a sex offender. He couldn't get a job because no one wanted to hire a "rapist". He told them again and again that he was innocent but no one believed him and he was alone. So he did the only thing he could do to get them to listen and take his claims of innocents seriously, he cruxfied himself on the steps of the court house. This got their attention and a short time later he was exonerated with DNA evidence showing that he could not possible have been the rapist. This is the kind of things men who are accused of rape go through so we ought to be pretty damn sure he did it before we decide to judge them as such. The idea that a woman is always telling the truth is also quite troubling since that implies female superiority (as previously mentioned). Just because she is a woman doesn't mean she isn't lying about it to hurt some one. In fact by its nature accusations of rape are more likely to be falsified because their is little ramification on the womans part and it completely destroyes the person they accuse. Even when its proven to be a lie soceity as a whole will still side with the woman (as has been shown with the UV rape case). So we should never believe a persons claim of victim hood any more then a persons claims to innocents, we should let the evidence determine what happened.

[Tdieseler]

Like every accusation, there should be a benefit of the doubt. on either end so no charges should be filed or anything until there is absolute proof that it happened. Women would say it should be automatically believed but yet many have falsely claimed this because they know exactly what happens if automatically believed.
The things that happen to a guy after the accusation is unfair to someone who is innocent. I'd say a restraining order should be filed first while there is an investigation, if the guy is found guilty, cart em off and if the girl was lying... cart em off too. if this was the case, many of these bogus women won't be firing off false accusations because of their own stupid mistakes or as a way to "punish" a guy. I've heard of guys who have been accused of rape who have been killed while incarcerated or committed suicide after they were acquitted because regardless of acquittal... the events from the moment of accusation till release will forever stick with them.
So i vote NO to automatic belief. just benefit of doubt.

[Prettygurl12]

I mean... I was at work the other day and I was helping my fellow co-workers deal with a female and she looked right at me and told me that I was "letting those fucking bastard men rape" her.

And I can assure you, rape was absolutely not happening. I read law books. I looked up the definition in the dictionary. I read the policy and procedure literature at my job. Those men were absolutely not raping her.

So... no, but if the facts of the matter lead one to conclude that it happened then yes.

[Prettygurl12]

I suppose I should mention I work in a security police department...

[itsallover]

No, there should be impartiality both towards the victim and the accused, until evidence proves the innocence or guilt of the accused.

I really think a lot of people talking about false accusations are really blowing it out of proportion. It's not very common at all.

[This_is_my_username]

innocent until proven guilty my dear. This is what the laws says

[This_is_my_username]

thanks for mho :)

[xHoneyxBeex]

No, a neutral stance should be taken until it is proven one way or the other with evidence.

[SomeGuy37]

Innocent until proven guilty is the legal standard in the US. Except when a guy is accused of rape, whether real, or not, he will carry that 'accusation' on his record, forever, especially with the internet...

[AustinMan]

No but if there's not a good reason otherwise, she should be given the initial benefit of the doubt. A thorough, private, but complete investigation should ensue before any public accusations are made.

[BambooforPanda]

Believed by who? The police and court system, no they need to investigate and have a trial.
By her freinds and family? Absolutely yes.
Strangers, mutual friends, aquaintances, the general public? Giant grey area.

[teatea111]

Not automatically believed because of we did that then we should automatically believe makes when they report rape too otherwise it would be unfair. I don't think we would automatically believe any accusations without first investigating or at least getting some testimonials.

[ksoma]

By family and friends who want to support her?
yes.
by the legal system? absolutely not.
They have to prove a crime actually happened, discover the details of a crime, and connect the suspect to it.
If they automatically believed her, our legal system flips, and the suspect is presumed guilty until her proves himself innocent.
That just isn't the way things work. And not how they should work, for rape, or any other crime.

[Mistnigqa808]

Nope unless there's proof of it actually happening. And while I'm at it let me say this, "If it turns out that ____ lied about being raped she should have to serve a 15 year in prison sentence" without any chance of an early release. Because currently there isn't any harm done to the person saying that "____ raped me" now is there?

[Red_Arrow]

Sure. And if she says that he killed her, we would believe that, too.

[Mustachekitteh]

Nope, Innocent until proven guilty or guilty until proven innocent.

[popsickle]

Yes in a sense that you need to do the appropriate medical investigation ASAP and support her emotionally/ assess the situation but not automatically incriminate the suspect.

[Cloudy25]

No, rape is a crime and every crime needs an investigation before anything can be concluded.

[stardust101]

Definitely... until proven otherwise.

[Toad-1]

so a man accused of this should be assumed guilty until proven innocent? not the other way around?

[Tdieseler]

you mean NOT believed until proven otherwise. the price for that particular crime is very high, and even if acquitted and the accuser is (and should be) punished heavily, sometimes it takes a long time to prove otherwise after the fact. Many things happen to the guy in the timeframe between accusation, acquittal and sometimes for the rest of their lives. so i disagree.

[stardust101]

@Toad-1 Yes. I know some girls make false accusations, but not all girls do. Until he is proven guilty or innocent, I feel it's important to take her seriously.

[stardust101]

And if he is proven innocent then he has nothing to worry about.

[stardust101]

@Tdieseler you can disagree all you want. But I meant she should be believed unless it's proven she is falsely accusing him.

[Toad-1]

You know how dangerous that is right? to just automatically assume a man is guilty of rape? it mess up his life. I know of a few where the guy or someone cloe to them committed suicide where later the accuser confessed to making it up... and no criminal charges are brought against her.

A couple videos for you
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQgB1CvH8n4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irAa7HumWPI

I'm sorry stardust you are very wrong on this account. and people who think like you need a reality check.

[Toad-1]

"And if he is proven innocent then he has nothing to worry about. " That is very naive of the reality lol

[stardust101]

The thing about believing a rape victim right away is to secure her protection against the rapist or "rapist." There is a process to go through for her as well as him. Whether or not he is innocent, i feel it's important measures to take.

[Toad-1]

They should take measures sure, but not at the cost of ruining a mans life if he's completely innocent

[Tdieseler]

and what happens to an innocent man during that period? do you have ANY idea what happens to someone that is innocent during that period. Do you know how many people that were accused of rape, that were innocent and were either raped or murdered before there was "proof" that he was innocent? Do you know how many that committed suicide after? Acquitted or not, their lives are ruined... either by society or by memories. If thats the way you want to play it, then when the guy is proven innocent, i recommend the death penalty for the idiot that accused him. you destroyed someone's life, so i believe they should pay with their own. maybe that would deter bogus women.

[stardust101]

@Toad-1 the only way he could go to jail Innocently is if they detected his semen in her from a rape kit. I agree it would suck for the guy to be innocently accused of rape, but only if the lawful people don't do their job accurately. But, there are too many rape crimes not being evaluated fairly towards the victim based on the type of thinking you have. So, should we just allow rapists to get away with raping women because nobody really knows if she was actually raped or not? I don't think so.

[thatkaruguy]

nah a neutral stance should be taken until proven guilty or innocent. yes she should be taken seriously but no the man should not be automatically guilty. just the rape accusation alone can ruin a mans life completely. and there's way more false rape accusations than actual rapes.

[Toad-1]

Wow you are so naive on this stardust... " the only way he could go to jail" men still go to jail regardless if they are innocent or not. sometimes just a woman's word is all that is need to convince a Jury that he's a rapist. that is wrong, but it happens more frequently than you think it does. "I agree it would suck for the guy to be innocently accused of rape" Good that you agree... however it doesn't just suck. its DEVASTATING to the men who get falsely accused. "But, there are too many rape crimes not being evaluated fairly towards the victim based on the type of thinking you have." Name a few "So, should we just allow rapists to get away with raping women because nobody really knows if she was actually raped or not? " quite a jump in logic here. nobody is saying this at all. we are saying any accusation made against another person should be fully investigated before any serious action is taken against them.

[stardust101]

@Toad-1 while waiting for the crime to be fully investigated without penalties whatsoever, he could be using that time to rape more women. I'm sorry to hear about the men who commit suicide because of false rape accusations, but nobody can make anyone kill themselves. Yes, it's hard and there have been plenty of times where people want to kill themselves. It takes guys NOT to though. It takes strength and courage to get through tough situations.

[stardust101]

Guts not guys

[Toad-1]

wow stardust... don't believe this. it's like you have no sympathy at all for these men at all.

[thatkaruguy]

sorry dont know what fantasy land you live in but no. a person should receive no punishment of any kind for a rape accusation until proven GUILTY. shouldn't be held in a cell have police tail them it being mentioned on their record or ANYTHING. if it worked your way youve have no idea how many chicks would accuse an ex they hated just to spite them. they would get fired from their jobs and shat on by everyone and the chick would get away scott free.

[Toad-1]

So i guess the men who commit suicide or their family member do over this are just weak minded people huh?

[stardust101]

@Toad-1 what are you talking about? Have you ever encouraged any of these me? Have you ever literally gone up to them to pray? Have you ever sat in a cell with them to just give advice and hope? I have. Don't tell me I don't care, because I care a lot

[stardust101]

Men not me

[thatkaruguy]

lets put some perspective in this. i accuse you of being a thief! you go to jail until its time to go to court. you can't go to work, people think you are a thief and a bad person, and there's nothing you can do to change this. now its the court day and its proven you aren't a thief and it was all just a big "misunderstanding". everybody goes home oh wait... you dont have a home.. you couldnt pay your bills because youve been fired for not coming to work... you want to talk to your friends but they hate you or secretly think maybe you actually ARE a thief and dont treat you the same etc.

[Toad-1]

To call them weak for committing suicide shows you lack some kind of sympathy for them

[stardust101]

@thatkaruguy that's a shame. You know, there are plenty of evil people out there I agree. I have never falsely accused anything of anyone before no matter how angry I was towards them. You are only talking about the men who are actually innocent. How does anyone know that a man is innocent or anyone really without going through it? I'm not naive. Hopefully there will be new measures to take but it's always been the motto "guilty until proven innocent." What do you believe should happen in the meantime since its unfair to you that precautions are being measured.

[stardust101]

@thatkaruguy if that was the case still AFTER I could prove to them that I was innocent, then I don't need them.

[stardust101]

@Toad-1 I don't give sympathy, I give encouragement. Thetes a difference

[stardust101]

There's

[Toad-1]

What do you think about this @AleDeEurope

[Toad-1]

Like you can even understand their predicament anyways to give them such encouragement. i don't think you fully grasp the magnitude of what happens to a man and his life during just one flase rape accusation. watch those videos i linked

[Anno_Domini]

@thatkaruguy EXACTLY. Men who are falsely accused of rape can't just magically go on with their life like nothing happened. Their lives are literally ruined, and the women who falsely accused them rarely ever get more than a slap on the wrist!

[stardust101]

@Toad-1 for the people who commit suicide, I have talked people out of it before. For those who commit suicide in the first place didn't think they had the kind of support that a sucicidal person needed

[stardust101]

@thatkaruguy I can't control the laws of the system.

[AleDeEurope]

@Toad-1 I don't agree with her. Being accused of rape will automatically get you fired from your job, very likely to appear in the news, your family will most likely believe the victim... just by being accused, your life is mostly ruined. The mattress case is a great example. It's more than obvious that she lied, but he still got expelled from college, and well, life ruined. Rolling Stone article case, another example. Innocent till proven guilty, if it was the other way around, anyone could accuse anyone and send innocent people to jail 24/7.

[stardust101]

@Toad-1 yes they are, to be honest. Strength comes by persevering. Nobody is automatically born strong, they go through stuff and THAT makes people strong.

[stardust101]

If they persevere

[Anno_Domini]

What should the punishment for a false rape accusation be, in your opinion?

[stardust101]

@Toad-1 oh wow, get your army ready why don't u? Funny how I don't have one.

[Toad-1]

You sound like a man hater now... tbh...

[Anno_Domini]

I've seen a guy's life destroyed at my own college when a girl picked him out of a lineup having never even seen him before. She later admitted to making up the rape story, and had almost no punishment. He was screwed for life.

[stardust101]

@Anno_Domini there should be new laws set against the rapist and the rapee

[stardust101]

@Toad-1 how do I sound like a man hater? If it were up to me I would set new laws and regulations and prevent rapes from happening. But, how can I do that? im just looking at it from reality ok?

[Toad-1]

Set up new laws that would probably get a man convicted even more even if he were innocent right?

[thatkaruguy]

first of all you aren't looking at it from reality lol there's no law you could create to stop rape from happening. not even the death penalty. right now you sound like back when people would accuse someone of being a communist and then they disappear never to be heard from again unless they were lucky.

[stardust101]

@AleDeEurope of course you don't because you're a guy! Well I'm a woman and I know a lot of women who were raped and there was no justification for them

[Anno_Domini]

There was no justification for that girl to make up a story about being raped and ruin the life of a random guy she didn't even know, either.

[AleDeEurope]

Come on... don't pull that on me -_-

[stardust101]

@thatkaruguy Well at least with new laws and regulations would prevent a lot of rapes. You don't speed when you see a cop car do you? Why not? Because you KNOW he will give you a ticket. And if you speed through a red light anyway then your photo is automatically taken! And guess what? You get something in the mail (not that I ever have) but I'm. Just saying. If there were new laws that regulated rapes then I'm sure there would be less of them

[Anno_Domini]

Oh, please. Murderers get the freaking DEATH PENALTY, yet they still kill people.

[Anno_Domini]

Psychopaths will be psychopaths no matter what kind of laws you pass.

[Toad-1]

" If there were new laws that regulated rapes then I'm sure there would be less of them " Naive again... sigh

[stardust101]

@Toad-1 wow... I'm done.

[stardust101]

@Toad-1 I think you're naive... I'm done

[Hannahcakes]

Well we are in america so it's innocent until proven guilty. So that's what in going with and that what I believe.

[soupfairy]

innocent until proven guilty

[tupperware]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cegd2uuWAAAWYpd.jpg

[SwoopingHawk]

No, this is the United States of America, not a British Naval Tribunal. In this country, ALL suspects are innocent until proven guilty, that's supposed to be part of our legal system's core, basic wisdom from Judge Blackthorn.

[cavmanier]

No obviously a burden of proof is important if the potential offender pays for the crime. Punishing them without committing a crime isn't ethical.

[AleDeEurope]

No. Innocent till proven guilty.
You don't put a man in jail just because someone said they murdered that person. It shouldn't be different when it's rape.

You gotta listen to her and try to prove if what she says is true or false.

[Bandit74]

Watch this video and then read the comments. 😅
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NOJz0HKITLY

[AleDeEurope]

@Bandit74 XD The comments are hilarious. That cunt deserves it, I've seen some of her videos, and she deserves zero respect. P. S.: Laci Green raped me too #Justice4Ale #LaciTheRapist

[DodgersGM]

I don't think it should necessarily be 'believed,' but I do think that a claim like that automatically warrants looking into, yes.

[Frost_Byt3]

Nobody should be charged unless there is absolute, reliable evidence. And that goes for any crime.

[rjroy3]

No. She should be helped, but not immediately believed without an investigation. The same for her accuser. Until an investigation is done, no one should immediately believe either party.

Some women would never lie about that sort of thing... but some would and have. So we cannot just take a woman at her word in these situations. Obviously if it's a friend or family you're going to believe them. But when it comes to police and the law system, they have to remain dispassionate.