How is it fair that women can just claim that they were sexually assaulted years ago and take a man to court?

[Anonymous]

It is fair

It's not fair

A total of 37 votes were cast: 10 girls and 27 guys. See detailed results

[RingOfFire]

If they have evidence it's fair for them to charge it. But if the evidence is flimsy it's not.

The problem is that people are more interested in worrying about what gender the person who's making the charges is than they are in the evidence. That's a perversion of justice.

The woman shouldn't be believed and the man shouldn't be believed. What should be believed is the evidence. A lack of evidence doesn't prove there was no crime, but it does exonerate the accused because they are presumed Innocent until proven guilty by the evidence. And if there is no evidence they are presumed innocent. What other methodology could be more fair than that?

[NamerOfStars]

Bringing things before a court of law, to be assessed and decided by full due process, is perfectly fair; that's literally the entire reason for its existence.

Being able to make an accusation with no supporting evidence whatsoever, and still inflict damage, is not. The only difference between Emmett Till and Brett Kavanaugh is that one of them managed to win.

I do NOT feel happy writing that about a murder victim and an underqualified boob who got a lifetime appointment, but it's the truth.

[Asker]

But for it to go to court there should have to be evidence but for some reason in historic sexual assault cases this isn’t the case. The only so called “evidence” is words rather than any physical evidence.

[NamerOfStars]

Then the jury should find for the defendant, because "I said so" isn't proof beyond a reasonable doubt. It's treated that way sometimes, true, and THAT is awful, but that's a problem with the courts, not the idea of the courts.

[LazerBean]

It is fair because anybody can take anybody to court for any reason, which includes one person taking another to court with the claim of sexual assault.

[Ez-Bri-Z_v2]

Some are afraid or unable to report it at the time it happens. They should be allowed to come forward and tell their story and let it be investigated.

[Asker]

But why is it fair that a man has to go to court based purely on words and no evidence.

[Ez-Bri-Z_v2]

Why is it fair that a woman can be intimidated to keep her from reporting until evidence is lost and it becomes a he said, she said?

[Asker]

How do you know that even happened? Therefore if you can’t prove it and there is no evidence then it shouldn’t even go to court in the first place.

[Ez-Bri-Z_v2]

Well that's just stupid. Let someone get away with it because they were able to keep you from reporting it?

Let's say a father has habitually been raping his daughter from the time she was 5 until 16 where she finally was able to break away to report it. Should she now just suck it up because she doesn't have physical evidence of her abuse?

Sounds to me like you might be a rapist apologist.

[Asker]

“Let someone get away with it because they were able to keep you from reporting it?” Once again using a straw man. Why are you specifically using this example? How is it fair than someone can be convicted of a crime with 0 evidence? It wouldn’t happen with something like fraud. Why should sexual assault be different? The whole point of court is to prove someone’s guilt. A defendant doesn’t have to prove their innocents.

[Ez-Bri-Z_v2]

Its not a strawman, you fake pink anonymous account. It's an actual example of what happens in the real world. It's absolutely fair to be able to report it if it happens. Even if there is no physical evidence, that doesn't mean that someone can't at least make it know that it happened.

[HighValue]

The system is sexist against men. Proven false accusations should result in the death penalty for the accuser. It completely ruins many men's lives. They lose a lot of money for legal defense, often lose their jobs, and even if they admit it was a false accusation, many people still think the accused is guilty. Any for generations people have wrongly convicted the innocent for things like that.

Any time someone claims something happened "a long time ago" people should realize it is almost always a lie, and often the person making the claims stands to benefit financially by making those claims.

Without real physical evidence, I don't think people should be convicted. Anyone can make up lies about someone they don't like or are jealous of, but that doesn't make it true.

[msc545]

Agreed except for the death penalty part which is excessive. An equivalent sentence would be sufficient.

[Anonymous]

Well the prevalence of false reporting is between 2% and 10%.

But only 47% of actual sexual assaults get reported. And of those only about half of them ever get a conviction.

So no it's not fair. But the victims of actual assault statistically get a much rawer deal.

[Asker]

But why is it fair that a man has to go to court based purely on words and no evidence? Also could u please vote

[Pete671]

It's not fair, but you can't just take someone to a criminal court in UK at least.

DPP has to authorise a trial based on whether or not it is in the public interest to do so. It's ridiculous if this does happen based on just verbal statement.

[SeekerOfTruth007]

It's not fair. That's why the Bible requires two or three eyewitnesses to a rape to take the offender to trial. It's also why the Bible has a four-fold penalty for false accusation of a crime.

[Hispanic-Cool-Guy]

It's not fair. It's BS.

Real victims of sexual assault don't take years to report what happened to them.

[Anonymous]

women already get in an uproar if their partner even suspects them of unfaithfulness

but somehow men should just tolerate this garbage of false rape/DV accusations

[Smegskull]

That isn't the unfair part. The unfair part is rhat publicly the burden is on him to prove his innocence not on her to prove guilt. This problem will never be solved because men and women have opposite Blackstone's ratios.

[jshm2]

Men can too. It's about being able to find a cheap enough lawyer, and plausible evidence.

[TheSpaceGnome]

False reporting is very common out of the ones that get reported, so i'd say its unfair.

[Dargil]

You never lose your right to sue. An allegation is not evidence.

[Anonymous]

I think it is wrong in cases where it is at least partly about politics such as the Kavanaugh case. Even if he was guilty of what he was accused of, her decision to bring it up at that moment was clearly about protecting Roe vs. Wade.

[Dongie]

Because we all know women can't tell lies. They're pure as the driven slush.

[msc545]

It is unfair, and it has unfortunately become a way for some women to make a lot of money.

[KostasKouvalis]

There should definitely be a statue of limitation

[Staximus]

It's fair if it's true

[Staximus]

Especially if there's evidence

[HusamRocks]

Corrupted system