The “Symbolic Protest” Behind Women’s Reporting of Sexual Assault Crime to Police

S. Caroline Taylor · Caroline Norma

31 citations0/0 files storedFeminist Criminology

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Sexual Assault and Victimization Studies Policing Practices and Perceptions Intimate Partner and Family Violence

Abstract

We introduce the term symbolic protest to identify and analyze a key motivator for the reporting decisions of victims of sexual violence. We contend that reporting sexual assault crime to police is an important expression of “symbolic protest” at a criminal justice system that does not generally serve women’s interests. Women show great courage and self-sacrifice in reporting sexual assault crime, and we identify three major factors that motivate them to do so, namely, (a) the need to have sexual assault recognized as a crime, (b) a desire to raise community awareness of sexual assault, and (c) a desire to protect other women and girls.

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1990Philosophy and Public Affairs 2017The British Journal of Criminology 2005Female Chauvinist Pigs: Women and the Rise of Raunch Culture 2005A Gap or A Chasm?: Attrition in Reported Rape Cases 2010Rape and Attrition in the Legal Process: A Comparative Analysis of Five Countries 2004Beyond Belief?2009Restorative Justice and Violence Against Women 2003Non-reporting and hidden recording of sexual assault: An international literature review

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2017Perceptions of Police, Racial Profiling, and Psychological Outcomes: A Mixed Methodological Study 2016Written-response interview protocols: an innovative approach to confidential reporting and victim interviewing in sexual assault investigations 2012Invalidation: A Neglected Dimension of Gender-based Violence and Inequality 2019The Decision to Arrest in Sexual Assault Case Processing: A Test of Black’s Theory of the Behavior of Law 2017Virtualized Violence and Anonymous Juries: Unpacking Steubenville’s “Big Red” Sexual Assault Case and the Role of Social Media

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