The analyses of reasons help explain why victims are less likely to report sexual assaults than physical assaults. Victims of sexual assault are less likely to report the incident for four reasons: (a) they were more likely to be embarrassed, (b) they were more likely to fear reprisal, (c) they were more likely to think the police would not believe them, and (d) they were more likely to believe the police would be ineffective.

L’analyse des raisons évoquées permet d’expliquer pourquoi les victimes ont moins tendance à faire état d’une agression sexuelle que d’une agression physique. Les victimes d’agression sexuelle ont moins tendance à faire état de l’incident pour quatre raisons : (a) elles ont tendance à être plus embarrassées, (b) elles ont plus tendance à craindre des représailles, (c) elles ont plus tendance à penser que la Police ne les croira pas, (d) elles ont plus tendance à penser que la Police sera inefficace.

Author(s): Richard B. Felsone and Paul-Philippe Paré
“The Reporting of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault by Nonstrangers to the Police”
Source: Journal of Marriage and Family, Vol. 67, No. 3 (Aug., 2005), pp. 597-610
Published by: National Council on Family Relations
Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/3600191