There is a powerful movement which has gained force recently with personal truths leading to accountability for people who abused power, including sexual predation. Where a phrase have noted often is--believing the victims. Which makes me think of bank robberies for an analogy.
Like, imagine you know someone about whom you deeply care who has been accused of robbing a bank, and is facing prosecution. That person either did, or did not, rob the bank.
Thankfully, there is likely to be lots of evidence like video footage, and witnesses, as well as the cash stolen, to establish whether or not the robbery did or did not occur.
But your opinion is not relevant.
Did or did not that person rob the bank?
In situations with sexual assault there can be a problem of evidence, but the truth exists.
Whether you believe a victim or not, is relevant for an investigating authority, including of course for a court case, if you are a prosecutor, or on a jury. But in terms of the truth which we may find difficult to determine--did, or did not that person accused do the sexual assault?
If one person carefully and clearly describes an event, which is a sexual assault, then is a question of truth. Which does not have anything to do necessarily with how you feel about the accused.
A mother can still love her child who is a bank robber, correct? -- Even after conviction, and mountains of evidence.
Your feelings about an accused to me are not important to me at all.
If I knew someone closely, accused in any arena am confident would have feelings about that, and especially want those things to not be true, if there was ANY room for doubt.
But if that person robbed a bank? Would my feelings have anything to do with the truth?
No. And I think it interesting in our times, with things so obvious, you can at times witness people in the media, talking as if their feelings about believing a victim or an alleged victim have relevance to the truth.
What actually matters though is what actually happened. Best when that can be determined, beyond a reasonable doubt. But regardless, there is a truth there.
James Harris
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