The "Symbolic Protest" Behind Women Reporting of Sexual Assault Crime to Police
Document Type
Journal Article
Faculty
Faculty of Computing, Health and Science
School
School of Psychology and Social Science / Social Justice Research Centre
RAS ID
13065
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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Comments
Taylor, S. C., & Norma, C. (2012). The “symbolic protest” behind women’s reporting of sexual assault crime to police. Feminist Criminology, 7(1), 24-47.