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She didn't report it (SPOILERS)


to the police because she "promised" the rapist that she wouldn't, in exchange for her life. Either she believed that a promise is a promise or else that he would indeed come back and kill her if she reported it.

Come and get one in the yarbles, if ya have any yarbles - Alex DeLarge

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Yeah this irked me a bit to be honest. I couldn't understand why she didn't report him. Then again I've never been in a situation like this...

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that fear is completely real. My mother worked for the police dept even and I never said anything until YEARS later.

~~ Never let them see you vulnerable ~~

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The fear of telling someone is completely realistic. Rapists do not spend life in prison so even if he went to prison he could get out soon and get his revenge.

What am I going to do with my kids, keep them in my house? Where I live?

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She's the perfect victim. Chances are the guy rapes again, and she'll be partially responsible. I really had no sympathy for her character.

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I was so furious that she did not at least give his DNA. He will rape again, b/c most rapists do. I know she was in shock, but, why wasn't a female nurse brought in w/ the doc for this movie. This scene was not realistic, b/c most physicians would NEVER examine a female like that without a RN w/ him/her. Also they had forensic nurses in 1989, who were trained to work w/ these types of patients. I am a nurse, they may not have been deemed "forensic nurses", but there were always specially trained nurses/NP's/or female MD's who could do the whole "rape kit or SA kit (sexual assault) " this (SA kit) is what it was called then. It involves pictures of wounds, shaving pubic hair, collecting body fluids, etc....for evidence. The ED would probably not have let her leave without doing something like bringing in a specialist that would help the person to realize that without the evidence, the perp (rapist) could do this to someone else, who may not be lucky enough to escape death. These types of rapes usually escalate into more and more deviant and unpredictable behaviors (death or kidnapping w/ torture, etc...). I think her husband was perturbed about her not reporting also. I was just so upset that she did not "look out for someone else". I know that seems callous of me and I may get alot of flack b/c I said it, but, it is the equivalent of seeing a totally obvious drunk driver going the wrong direction on a interstate and not calling the cops...you know s/he is going to plow into someone, yet you keep driving without doing anything about it.

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I was so furious that she did not at least give his DNA. He will rape again, b/c most rapists do. I know she was in shock, but, why wasn't a female nurse brought in w/ the doc for this movie.
Please keep in mind, what I am putting in this reply is true for at least parts of the USA, if not all of the USA.

That said in advance, we are now (using 2005 as the reference date) SIXTEEN years later than the 1989 reference in your comment, and many large cites have tens of thousands of unprocessed rape evidence kits, waiting for funding to pay for the DNA testing. (I presume DNA evidence from murder cases gets priority for processing...) Additionally, prisons have only in the years beyond 20xx collected DNA, (I do not know the exact year, sorry, and it may even vary depending on whether federal, or state prisons are involved), and only relatively recently has routine DNA collection begun for inmates convicted of any crime. That means that while rape evidence was collected, a rapist may have been caught, convicted, served time, and been released, all while rape evidence from other cases was/is waiting to be processed! Even worse than that, there is usually a time limit on prosecuting for rape; seven years is the time that comes to mind.

Again, I am fairly certain DNA from persons convicted of crime may still not be routinely collected. What does that mean? For instance, if a repeat rapist did break into a home, but was caught before having the chance to rape, then was convicted of "merely" breaking-and-entering, or criminal trespass and/or vandalism, such a person would perhaps not be a high priority to take and process DNA against open cases, which may also not yet be processed. YIKES!!!
Prior to having laws in place to routinely take DNA samples from convicts, and passing legal challenges claiming violation of rights against "unreasonable search", the only large, and routine, DNA collection was done from members of the USA military, and that database was specifically prohibited from any use other than identification of bodies/remains of military personnel.

Then there is another matter...
DNA testing is a relatively recent 'discovery', and even more recently recognized as legal evidence in courts, (after being challenged by defense lawyers as "unproven" scientific processes), and the previous use of rape evidence would only determine blood type, (you know, like type A, B, AB, and O). That information could primarily only eliminate a suspect, and not prove guilt, while possibly consuming all of an evidence sample. When that was the only testing available, reporting a rape was far from where evidence can now lead. Plainly put, a rapist was far, far less likely to be caught and put on trial before modern DNA testing, including the process called "DNA amplification" where very small amounts of DNA gets cloned, producing a sufficient amount for the DNA testing.

Once DNA evidence can prove a sexual "event" occured, prosecuting a rapist can still come down to the victim being the only witness against their alleged rapist; classic "he-said-she-said", and whether the jury/judge finds the victim, or the accused rapist more believable.
Sooooo, even with DNA evidence, a rape conviction is not guaranteed...

Now then, aside from all the psychological issues, why wouldn't a rape victim report a rape, and when threatened with death if they did report the "event"...

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That was something that drove me nuts and as another poster said, kills your sympathy for the character. You're basically sending that guy out into the world to do it again.

Amy: I swear to God...I swear to God! That is NOT how you treat your human!

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I'm going to assume you have never been a victim of rape, or don't know anyone who has. Reporting it, to anyone, is admitting it happened. For some people, all they want to do is forget, pretend it never happened at all. To blame a victim for "not looking out for the next person" is ridiculous. Does anyone blame someone who gets mugged if they don't report it? No. But it's a guarantee that thief is going to steal again.

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