When will the "justice system" stop failing women?
Image: NY Magazine
Anger is the overwhelming feeling I was overcome with when I read the Bill Cosby news this week. I’m angry for the over fifty women who knew that coming forward meant that they would face a circus of people questioning their integrity, and yet chose to speak their truth anyway. I’m angry for all the sexual assault survivors that have been triggered and retraumatized by this slap-in-the-face reminder that the so-called justice system will not stand up for them. I’m angry for every woman who has ever been violated and that has to suffer through listening to members of their own community applaud the release of this criminal ‘for the sake of the culture’.
To be clear, Cosby was released because of a technicality not because he is innocent. But unfortunately there is no convenient crack in the system for the trauma that wreaks havoc throughout the life of a sexual assault survivor. There is no loophole for the countless women who have to bear not only the lasting effects of their violation, but also the constant reminder that being believed and afforded due process is often a privilege rather than a right.
High profile cases like this one always gain traction because they represent a very public example of how the judicial system operates. Each conviction and subsequent sentencing sends a message to society. This is not the first, and probably won’t be the last time that the justice system has sent a crystal clear message about who exactly it serves.
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Chris Filcidor
Chris is a proud East African, 30-something who currently lives in the United States, but whose heart will always be in her motherland Africa. Just like everyone else, she is clumsily trying to find her place in this crazy world with the hope of having some fun and learning as much as she can along the way.