MOUNT VERNON — The news of Mount Vernon Middle School physical education teacher Andrew Walsh allegedly raping a 15-year-old student in 2018 has gained attention from the public, both in Knox County and beyond.
A social media user recently posted online Thursday, identifying herself as Walsh’s victim. She said despite many positive and supportive messages, she has also received a lot of negative comments making fun of her or doubting her account of the events since the news came out. The prospect of this public scrutiny and ridicule was exactly the reason she did not report two years ago, the post read.
Sexual Assault Advocate Lauren Lochotzki at New Directions and Knox County Victim Assistance Director Diana Oswalt expressed that victims face a lot of challenges in rape and sexual assault cases — not only from the emotional toll of the victimization itself, but from the blame, shame and scrutiny they are subjected to by a misinformed public.
Lochotzki highlighted that false reports of rape rarely happen, contrary to widespread misconception. Rape and sexual assault are more likely to be underreported, according to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center.
Lochotzki and Oswalt said that rape is most often perpetrated by someone the victim knows and trusts — friends, family members, and people in a position of authority whom the victim may look up to.
These relationship dynamics often hold rape victims back from reporting the crime. Rape survivors who do report the crime often face backlash from the community as well.
If a victim reports that they were raped by someone well-known or in a position of authority in the community, they could face especially strong public backlash and distrust, Lochotzki said.
Lochotzki used the Bill Cosby case as an example. Because Cosby was known by his friendly and humorous public persona on “The Cosby Show,” when the rape allegations came out, people were shocked and did not want to believe it happened.
The “shock factor” can divide a community, and because the mentality of victim-blaming is so pervasive, the public often diverts blame from the perpetrator onto the victim, according to Lochotzki.
Common victim-blaming attitudes include questioning what the victim was wearing, if they were drinking, whether they were in a relationship or initiating a relationship with the perpetrator — essentially putting the responsibility on the victim for being raped.
Surprisingly, many women tend to blame other women who are victims of sexual assault, according to Lochotzki.
Lochotzki explained that, based on her study of victim-blaming, this could be a self-defense mechanism to distance oneself from the prospect of rape. If a woman can pick out something about the rape victim that is different from her behavior — like wearing a short skirt — she can rationalize that she is not at risk of being raped herself as long as she avoids that behavior or characteristic.
However, Lochotzki cautioned that rape can happen to anyone, regardless of gender, race, socioeconomic class, clothes, behavior or relationship status.
Lochotzki stressed that even if two people were in a relationship — married or not — or if the victim had previously given consent to sex, they can always revoke consent and should have their decision to end the sexual interaction honored.
Not only is reporting rape a hard decision due to the prospect of backlash, but victims also face an uphill battle getting justice when they do report the crime.
A victim advocate of 18 years, Oswalt expressed that victims face a lot of challenges securing a conviction of their abusers in the courtroom.
“They could do everything right and the jury still acquits (the offender),” Oswalt said.
Oswalt said that this is because “juries don’t listen to evidence.”
She cited a 2016 case in which 37-year-old Curt Swartz was brought to trial on charges of raping his 13-year-old niece in her Howard family home. Forensic scientist reports showed that Swartz’s DNA evidence was found on the niece’s neck, breast and underwear. The niece testified in front of the jury in detail about Swartz forcing himself onto her, according to previous News reports.
The jury acquitted Swartz after an hour of deliberation, seemingly agreeing with Swartz’s attorney’s argument that the niece took saliva from Swartz’s open mouth, applying it to her own body to stage the rape to get attention.
To Oswalt, acquittals like this are insults to victims and could deter other victims from coming forward to seek justice.
“People have their heads in the sand,” Oswalt said, referring to how people seem to go out of their way to find excuses and justifications for the perpetrator’s behavior or simply refuse to believe the victim.
She said sometimes prosecutors ask the jury why they acquit someone accused of rape, and would get answers like “a father would never do that,” regardless of the evidence presented.
Juries also often read into victims’ emotional expressions and coping mechanisms — detached, crying, laughing, smiling — as reasons not to believe them, according to Oswalt.
As a victim advocate, Oswalt said she most wants people to understand how personal rape and sexual assault is to the survivor.
“It affects you to the soul,” Oswalt said. “It’s no different if it’s a husband raping a wife or a stranger rape. It takes away your well-being, your sense of security, safety, trust.”
Both Oswalt and Lochotzki stressed the importance of a positive support system for rape and sexual assault survivors. It is also important for others to support and believe the survivors.
“Always listen and believe the survivor,” Lochotzki said. “Thank them for telling you, because it is not easy to tell. And don’t tell them what they should or shouldn’t do.”
New Directions provides support groups and advocates who can accompany survivors to file reports or go to court and the hospital, as well as connecting survivors with resources.
Lochotzki noted that New Directions’ advocacy is available not only to survivors but also “secondary survivors,” like family and friends, who are so close to the victim that they too are impacted by the rape or sexual assault.
Those in need can contact New Direction’s 24/7 free, confidential hotline at 740-397-4357.
