Teenage Sex-Crime Victim Might Be Arrested For Tweeting The Names Of Her Attackers

Now here’s something I didn’t realize actually happened. As a part of the plea deal for sex abusers, a judge can order the victim not to talk about their assault. So someone who suffered from sexual violence can be made to keep quiet, so as not to ruin the reputation of those who abused them.

That’s what happened to a 17-year-old girl, Savannah Dietrich. The Kentucky teen took her abusers to court after they molested her while she was passed out at a party. The bravery it takes to actually press charges after such an event is impressive enough. The fact that she was demanded to keep quiet after exhibiting such bravery is disgusting.

Savannah’s abusers were given what she described as a “very, very light,” sentence and she was given a gag order about discussing the event. Talking to her local paper, Savannah said, “”I was crying as she [the judge] was reading that. They got off very easy . . . and they tell me to be quiet, just silencing me at the end.”

Instead of following the judge’s orders, Savannah tweeted the names of her attackers. She followed it with, “There you go, lock me up. I’m not protecting anyone that made my life a living hell.” Now, Dietrich will have to wait to see if the judge decides to hold her in contempt of court, possibly sending her to jail.

The idea that a sexual assault victim would be told to keep quiet about their abuse is unbelievable. Men and women need to be able to open up about their experience, so that they can confront the horror of what happened to them and hopefully move past their assault. And they shouldn’t have to protect the identity of those who chose to abuse them.

Savannah Dietrich deserved the justice system’s support. Her treatment is just another reason that sexual assault is such an under-reported crime. She had the bravery to stand up for herself and confront her attackers in court. Instead of seeing them pay for their crime, they were given a light sentence and she was told to keep quiet about it. My heart aches for this young girl.

(Photo: itay uri/Shutterstock)