The victim on trial

In the July 25 article "Lawyers Find Credibility Vital in Sexual Assault Cases," reporter Paula Reed Ward posed questions such as "Why didn't she go to the police? What is her past history? How did she end up in the room? Why did she wait a year?" She forgot, "What was she wearing?" and "Did she have anything to drink?"

I am a rape victim, and I ran these questions over and over in my head, knowing that I would be the one put on trial, even though I was the victim.

I never came forward to the authorities and 17 years have past. Your article is exactly why so many women do not come forward and report being raped; lawyers, society and the news media put the victim on trial and in the end they end up blaming themselves because they are made to feel it was their fault.

I was raped, I said no. It does not matter what my past history was, did I invite him up, was I drinking or what I was wearing,

No means no. I did not report my rape because I had a 12-year-old son and I did not want my character to be tarnished, and I was the victim.

As I said, no means no -- no matter what you are wearing, how much you have had to drink, what your past is or who invited whom up to the room.

B. ROBINSON
Natrona Heights