In August 2012, high school football players sexually assaulted a 16-year-old girl in Steubenville, Ohio and documented it on social media. On Sunday, two of the teenage men were found guilty of rape and were sentenced a minimum in of one year in a juvenile detention facility. We stand with the Ohio Alliance Against Sexual Violence and the National Sexual Violence Resource Center in their statement:
"The outpouring of support for this victim illustrates that it’s time to break the silence. Offenders can and will be held accountable. The judge’s decision shows crimes of sexual violence will not be tolerated. We thank the victim for coming forward and displaying an incredible amount of strength and courage. Her bravery opened the door for other victims to report and be believed and supported. [...]While this case has garnered worldwide attention focusing on Steubenville, we know that these crimes happen everywhere and far too often. In Ohio, 60% of sexual assault victims reporting to law enforcement are juveniles. Nationally, one in four girls and one in six boys will be sexually abused by the time they turn 18 years old. As we’ve seen in this case, victims experience many barriers when disclosing abuse. These barriers contribute to victim and societal silence of sexual violence. When someone discloses what happened, believe them.Throughout this case, we saw many missed opportunities where others could have intervened but did not. [...] This case shined a light on the role that bystanders play in preventing these crimes and supporting survivors. We need to engage bystanders in preventing these crimes, by equipping them with knowledge and skills to safely, effectively intervene.What happened in Steubenville can be a tipping point for change. We have to continue these conversations beyond the decision made in this courtroom today. Preventing sexual violence is possible, and through the community mobilization we must now focus our attention on improving policies, promoting training and investing in prevention." Read the full statement here.
The role that technology and social media played in this case may have been one of the reasons it gained national attention. See this New York Times article for details. A blogger took screenshots of one of the offender's tweets before he deleted them, which proved to be key evidence; she gives her thoughts on the case in this post from yesterday. She will be speaking on WomanTalk Live, a Baltimore radio show hosted by Ann Quasman, a board member of MCASA, on March 30.
The media coverage of this case has also been making news itself. Many news outlets have wrongly focused on sympathy for the rapists instead of the victim. Watch this CNN clip where they express concern for how the punishment will effect the lives and futures of the offenders, barely mentioning how the victim's life and future were effected by their actions:
Sign the petition for CNN to apologize for this coverage.
This case happened in Ohio, but it could have been Maryland. These stories are too common. Work with us to prevent sexual assault: Take the first step here.
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