More focus needed, not less
Well, okay, so some stats were off: That’s sort of the nature of statistics, isn’t it? That stats aren’t ever going to be 100 percent reflective of the data they’re trying to represent.
But these statistics are actually pretty important. According to the FBI’s website, Uniform Crime Report data that is submitted by police departments “serves many purposes. [It] provides law enforcement with data for use in budget formulation, planning, resource allocation, assessment of police operations, etc., to help address the crime problem at various levels.”
In other words, a significant amount of financial allocation is based on this data. A reduction in the reporting of sexual assault equates to a reduction in the amount of money to be dedicated to combating sexual assault.
The real question, then, is whether or not sexual assault can be reined in all by the legal system. Is it up to lawyers and judges to deter rapists? Is it up to police? Is this a battle to be waged culturally? Are those damned feminists just making a huge issue out of nothing?
We at the Advocate firmly believe that reductions in reporting of sexual assault will not reduce sexual assault, and will make the problem worse.
Misuse and abuse of power occurs in the shadows, when facts and realities are obscured. A quick look at Hollywood in the past year or so shows that transparency and accountability are absolutely crucial when it comes to challenging cultural norms and fighting injustice.
This change in the DoJ’s wording is decidedly a step backward in the fight to combat sexual assault.
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