Violence Against Women of Color
Can you count how many missing cases you see on TV that are about a woman of color? One?… two?… how about three? How many did you count on your fingers?
It is rare that we see a person of color on the news reported missing and seeing something being done about it. It is easy to watch the news and continue to move on when the person watching is not being personally affected. It may stick in your head for some time before you’re rushing to get to work, but soon you forget about it. However, issues as big as violence against women aren’t fully dealt with in the proper way until someone with power decides it matters. According to Statista Research Department, in 2020 there were 321,859 white women reported missing, while 182,548 Black women were reported missing. The rates of Black women reporting a crime against their perpetrator are low. But the main question here is why Black women don’t report these crimes as often as white women might.
There are many ways one can try to answer this question, but it’s important to look at how the law handles cases of domestic violence & sexual assault. As well as how these victims/survivors are treated within society, and the tactics police use to handle these types of cases. In the well known American true crime Netflix television series “Unbelievable” one of the main protagonist’s, Marie Adler, is describing her traumatic experience of being raped to police officers with her foster mother present in her apartment.
As she’s describing what happened to her there is a lack of support from her foster mother as well as the two detectives who were covering the case. The case took place in Lynnwood, Washington, and as the investigation grew no evidence turned up from the crime scene due to a strategic serial rapist. Due to a lack of evidence the detectives who were overseeing Marie’s case believed that she was lying and fabricated the entire story. These two detectives who just so happened to be men began to push questions upon Marie during the interrogation that were formed in a way that made her question herself and feel pressured. Which then resulted in Marie’s case being closed and wrongfully charged with a misdemeanor.
It was not until other women came forward about their rape were new leads on the serial rapist uncovered. New detectives who happened to be two women at local precincts in Colorado began to dig deeper, and reopened cases that shared the same evidence and description of the serial rapist. Once these two detectives are introduced the audience is able to see how these cases of rape and sexual assault are supposed to be handled. These detectives in Colorado took time with their victims and took care of them, unlike the detectives handling Marie Adler’s case. After these two women detectives begin to investigate linked cases with the same perpetrator they figure out who the serial rapist is and convict him. Marie Adler’s case was reopened, but the state wanted to keep the mis-charge quiet and paid Marie Adler to not go public with her story.
What laws are in place in your state for cases of Domestic Violence and Rape?
Each state has different laws in place to protect their citizens and for each one of the fifty states the domestic violence and sexual assault laws are different. It’s important to know how your state handles domestic violence and sexual assault cases. However, we’re going to focus on the state of New York.
It is crucial that the police force and the state provide resources for individuals who have been raped and have been abused by their intimate partner. These individuals should feel heard and have their case dealt with carefully with attention to detail. However, in conducted interviews with women who did did not want their identity or name to be given for safety reasons, I found that most victims/survivors do not feel as if their story was heard. They felt as if they were being blamed for their rape and abuse rather than listened to. They were asked questions like: “why didn’t you go home earlier,” “you willingly got into the car with him,” “didn’t you notice the signs?” Phrases and conversations like this undermine someone and place the blame on to the victim/survivor. This highlights how we refer to rape and domestic violence in our society and the stigmas that come along with it. Many programs and new language need to be put in place in order to see a difference within society and spark new conversations. Down below is a link to the New York state resources for individuals who have been abused or raped.
Click on this link to see how your own state handles sexual assault cases and how they define key terms such as: rape (in all degrees,) sexual conduct, abuse, etc.
“On average, nearly 20 people per minute are physically abused by an intimate partner in the United States. During one year, this equates to more than ten million women and men.”(NCADV) Black women and American Indian women experience domestic violence more than other women of color. However, the data does not show why these women experience more abuse.
click on the drop down menu below to see the different results based on race
Each case has a different outcome based on the severity and the details of the case.
The question here is if the state is doing enough for victims/survivors. Do women and men who have been raped or experienced domestic violence feel as if their cases were justified. What is the system doing to make sure the correct programs are in place for people to continue their lives. How are government officials trained to make sure when they are speaking to someone who has experienced something traumatic that that individual feels that they’re being listened to and not blamed. What programs and protocols are in place to lessen the amount of violence that is inflected upon women of color? Specifically, Black and American Indian women who show higher numbers in being victims of domestic violence and rape.
Works Cited
“Domestic Violence |” Blackburn Center , www.blackburncenter.org/domestic-violence. Accessed 8 Nov. 2021.
“FASB statement №158” www.google.com/search. Accessed 8 Nov. 2021.
“NCADV | National Coalition Against Domestic Violence” www.ncadv.org/statistics. Accessed 8 Nov. 2021.
“State Law Database.” RAINN, https://apps.rainn.org/policy/#.
“Sexual Violence Prevention Program” www.health.ny.gov/prevention/sexual_violence/. Accessed 8 Nov. 2021.
“Unbelievable l An inside look l Netflix.” YouTube, uploaded by Netflix, 9 September 2019, www.youtube.com/watch?v=6j11cfiV7ZM.
www1.nyc.gov/assets/nypd/downloads/pdf/analysis_and_planning/year-end-2020-enforcement-report-20210721.pdf. Accessed 9 Nov. 2021.
10, Mar. “Number of missing persons files in the U.S. by race 2020” Statista, 10 Mar. 2021, www.statista.com/statistics/240396/number-of-missing-persons-files-in-the-us-by-race/. Accessed 9 Nov. 2021.
