A 62-year-old woman came forward this week to tell a story that she hopes will help other women of all ages deal with the trauma and crime of rape.
It is but the latest act of courage she has exhibited over the past nine years.
In the past couple of weeks she testified at the trial of the man accused of raping her during a late-night walk in Princeton in May of 2005. She was on the stand for four hours, facing her assailant and part of that time being cross-examined by his lawyer.
His lawyer accused her of being a "cougar" at the time because she was 53 and the rapist was a teenager. He is now 27.
He testified the sex was consensual. She testified he had a knife.
In the end, the jury was convinced that it was not consensual and he was guilty of rape.
She is glad that was the case and the man could be in prison for the next 50 years.
For that reason, she wants other women to be strong, to come forward in rape cases and see justice done.
We know that many women, especially young women at colleges, often do not report cases of rape. The Princeton University newspaper has recently published two columns where students wrote about their rapes and the aftermaths.
In at lease one of those stories, the young woman did not report the rape to police or school officials.
In the case of older Princeton woman, she said one of the emotions she felt afterward was guilt.
Asked why she would feel guilty, she replied: "Just because of society in the way women are treated and they’re afraid to come out and say they’ve been raped."
This is a condition that must be overcome by women and our society.
Rape happens more than we would like to think. It can be hard to prove. And the process of investigating and taking a case to court can be embarrassing and further traumatizing to the victims.
The comments made by the defense lawyer in the Princeton case are not unusual and probably considered mild in other such trials.
Attitudes in society and universities need to change. Rape is a violent crime and not something to avoid dealing with. And it can’t be blamed on substances such as alcohol.
After the conviction of her assailant last week, the Princeton woman now says, "I’m not a victim anymore."
As for her rapist, she says, "he deserves (all) the jail time he gets. He’s a sick human being."
It is suspected that every victim of rape would share the same sentiments in their cases.
