The message of the article was not intended to say that people shouldn’t report their rape, but rather that we shouldn’t blame the victim if they don’t.

Yes, the well-intentioned thing to do is to report the assault. But there are so many variables that go into attacks that we don’t know of.

Some women don’t even realize it’s rape until years later, as outlined in some of the recent stories in Fearless, She Wrote. And those are some of the things we need to consider.

Rape doesn’t happen the same way for everyone. And when it’s by someone they know – let’s say a relative for example, it’s even harder to report.

While reporting is always the right thing to do, there are circumstances in which a victim may not want to. And we shouldn’t pressure, force or shame them into how they want to deal with it.

We shouldn’t put the responsibility on survivors to increase conviction rapes, while there are other things that could be holding rapists accountable.

When we tell them they’re responsible for it, we’re not fighting rape culture. We’re further extending the idea that they’re unworthy and disposable.