Rape victims everywhere, not just in the United Kingdom, have always had a hard time adjusting after their traumatic experience. The citizens of Kent have created a pledge to better help those who have been raped. On one end of the country help is available for almost anyone and groups have been formed to help them, but on the other end the lack of understanding is appalling and something needs to be done. There is no 24/7 service in Kent that aids rape victims. Not only do they need a 24/7 service, they need neighborhood watches and street police. Kent is constantly being criticized for low percentage of rape reporting and rape investigation. Women are often scared to report their rape because of the very likely possibility that they will lose the case because of either lack of physical abuse even though we are slowly coming to terms with the fact that rape does not always leave bruises or visible scars. Because of the lack of rights for rape victims, the residents of Kent have formed this pledge in order to make rape survivors feel safer about reporting their rape and receiving help for the mental trauma.
Every major city should have something to this effect and the fact that Kent went so long without a pledge of this sort is hard to believe. When a large city has a low rape reporting percentage it's definitely not because rape is not occurring but rather the women and men who have been raped are too scared to report it. Men are usually overlooked when they report a rape. A small percentage of rape survivors are men and many don't believe men when they are the victims. We don't believe rape survivors a lot of the time and we suffer from Just World Bias/Hypothesis. Many people subconsciously believe rape victims deserve what they get because they have done bad things some other time in their lives. It's a very flawed hypothesis but it sadly applies to most rape situations. The fact that Kent is taking this step is showing some good for the people who live there. It allows them to feel safe and as though people are out there to help you if you suffer from such a situation. Maybe other larger cities around Kent will take this example and follow them in making the same pledge.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-20252450
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