Supporting the victims

I have been writing and rewriting this post all week. Seeing the failure in a system you so strongly believed in brings about so much anger and disappointment. I feel ill equipped to articulate my feelings on the many layers in the attitudes towards sexual assault in our culture. The long history of devaluing the experiences of women and excusing the actions of men speaks for itself. In my most optimistic times I have hope that through the courage of those who have survived and are no longer afraid to have their voices heard, we will move forward as a society. In between I see the same lip service and promises that are always made when the underbelly of a corrupt institution is exposed. Accountability is a two sided issue. Moving forward from past mistakes with programs, initiatives, and a promise to protect and support the victims of sexual assault is necessary to create change. However, the other side of accountability in the acknowledgement of past mistakes. Without that, the push for change feels hollow. Many actions by individuals at Vermont were damaging, hurtful, and fundamentally wrong. From those committing the sexual assaults to those who failed to support the victims after the fact, there needs to be accountability. Thus far there has been no accountability or acknowledgement of the damage from past actions. I am not confident that there will be. Conversations about this are far from over and it is my hope that through these difficult conversations, through the bravery of survivors, real societal change will happen.