The National Institute of Justice has published a studying finding that when a woman reports becoming a victim of sexual assault — formally, to law enforcement or a community service provider, or informally, to family, friends, or other intimates — the reaction itself, if negative, can cause further harm to the victim.
According to NIJ-supported research, victims reported receiving more negative reactions from informal supports (e.g., peers, family members) than they experienced when disclosing sexual assault to police or community-based service providers.
Understanding the dynamics of how people and institutions react to sexual assault reports, and the impact of differing reactions on victims, is important at a time when, as the researchers noted, society’s response to sexual assault nationally is shifting toward community-coordinated action, with law enforcement and community service providers increasingly working together.
This report can be found by visiting NIJ's website.