This Woman's Rape Case Was Dropped Because She "Did Not Scream"

A woman who survived sexual assault by a colleague now faces slander charges, after the court threw out her case, according to BBC News.

Her case was dropped from the courts because the judge didn't think the woman had a strong enough emotional reaction to prove she had been raped. During the trial, the survivor testified that she had said "enough" to her attacker during the assault, according to BBC.

The survivor worked in hospitals in a city in Northern Italy when a coworker forced her into sexual acts and threatened that he would stop providing her with work if she didn't have sex with him, BBC reports.

When the judge chose to acquit the defendant, the reason given was that the woman had not "betrayed the emotion that a violation of her person had to inspire in her," and said that her rape "didn't exist."

When the court asked why she hadn't reacted more strongly the survivor said, "sometimes saying no is enough but maybe I did not use the force and violence that in reality I should have used, but that is because with people who are too strong, I just freeze."

We'll just stop for a moment to say that saying no is enough. It should always be enough. And no woman (or person) should ever have to use force or violence, or have to scream, to stop a someone from forcing them into sex.

The court throwing out this woman's case because they don't like her reaction — even though she clearly said no and was forced into sex anyway — is the very definition of victim blaming. And it has rightfully caused an outrage in the country, according to BBC.

"Certainly, you cannot punish the personal reaction of a woman terrified by what is happening to her," Annagrazia Calabria, a member of parliament, said according to BBC.

The Justice Minister — who is the head of the ministry of justice in the country — Andrea Orlando, has launched an investigation into the case, BBC reports.