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Survivors of Color Need More Than a Guilty Harvey Weinstein Verdict
Perhaps now more of our sexual assault complaints will be taken seriously
On Monday, a stunned Harvey Weinstein was found guilty of criminal sexual assault in the first degree and rape in the third degree. After two weeks of testimony from over 35 witnesses, and after more than 80 women came forward to accuse the former media mogul and high-powered Hollywood executive of sexual harassment and assault, Weinstein now faces anywhere from five to 29 years in prison.
Like Weinstein, many people were shocked by the guilty verdicts. Mimi Haleyi, one of the women who testified against Weinstein during his trial, told CBS This Morning, “I wasn’t sure what was going to happen, to be honest. The statistics say that most rapists walk. So I didn’t know which way it would go.”
Fear of the justice system, fear of retaliation, fear they won’t be believed, and a fear of lack of evidence are just a few of the many reasons why victims do not come forward.
Weinstein was acquitted of the most serious charges that carried the most significant amount of jail time, predatory sexual assault and rape in the first…
