The Kentucky state legislature should pass a law stating that victims of sexual assault cannot be jailed for naming their attackers.
Why is this important?
Savannah Dietrich is a 17-year-old girl who recently tweeted about being sexually abused and named her attacker. Then, she was threatened with jail time because the attorneys for her attackers said she had violated their privacy.
Under a barrage of public criticism, the motion to charge Savannah was dropped, but it's unacceptable that she was ever threatened with jail time just for identifying the who raped her.
As a teenager I was violently raped. I remember the physical and mental pain. Internally I was overwhelmed with shame and a sense of being ostracized from family, friends, and society. This period of time was very traumatic. It took many years before I talked about what happened because I was afraid of what people would say.
It took an inordinate amount of courage for Savannah to name her attackers in a public forum. She is a hero. Instead of trying to put her in jail, we should support her. Her actions may encourage other young females and males to stand up and name their assailants.
