Imagine living in a world where the worth of a person’s physical, mental, and emotional state is valued less than the worth of a multinational conglomerate corporation. Imagine living in a world where a victim of abuse and rape is forced to maintain relations with their rapist. Well, unfortunately, you don’t need to have a sickening imagination to picture such a cruel reality, because you do live in a world where such injustices occur every day.
This past Friday, Feb. 19, New York Supreme Court judge Shirley Kornreich ruled that beloved pop musician Kesha is to uphold her contract with Sony and Lukasz Gottwald—the man Kesha claims raped her early on in her career, and who continued to abuse her mentally and emotionally for years. The decision made by Judge Kornreich should be a wake-up call for all of us, on the injustice served to all victims of rape. The judge’s decision is a painful reminder that the legal system places ethics and morals a rung or two lower than commercial benefits.
What Judge Kornreich failed to acknowledge with his courtroom decision is that he openly placed not only the worth of a woman, but also the worth of a rape victim as less valuable than a corporation. A corporation! Where is the humanity in that? Many critics that support the court expedite the stereotyping of rape victims as liars by failing to understand why victims like Kesha are hesitant to come forward and confront their abusers.
Let me break it down for you. Humiliation is a major factor that prevents victims from reporting their rape. No one wants to feel the shame of being a victim of rape or face the fear of not being taken seriously. Reporting a rape also puts the victim in a situation where they have to relive the trauma over again. The humiliation and emotional pain that comes hand-in-hand with reporting a rape is the product of stereotyping. Rape is a crime that is extremely under reported. An alarming 68 percent of sexual assaults go unreported. Those who shame victims for not speaking up are the same voices shouting injustices at victims, like Kesha, claiming that they are liars, after monetary gains or publicity. Yet Kesha is the perfect example of how wrong those critics are.
Kesha is a wealthy musician with a huge fan following who is only after justice, not money, just like many other victims. She didn’t ask to send her abuser to jail. She just asked to be released from a contract that is forcing her to work with her abuser. Shouldn’t a victim of rape be entitled to the safety of their body, mental state, and work? The injustice served to Kesha is a wake up call to the vicious cycle of victim blaming. “They were asking for it,” “They should have spoken up sooner,” “They just want attention." NO! Whether a rape took place only hours ago, weeks ago, or years ago, that should not alter the fact that there was a rape. Rape is 100 percent a crime, and the only person at fault is the rapist. Victims of rape deserve help, protection, and a right to decide for themselves what is best. Not to have a legal system strip them of those rights.
We should be a society that shouts in the streets "Don't Rape," not "Don't Get Raped."
Forcing Kesha to uphold a contract with her rapist not only discourages her creativity and her career, but also her self-worth. I stand with Kesha and all victims of rape because everyone deserves to live and work in a safe environment that allows them to thrive in all aspects of their lives, including a career they are passionate about.
