4 ms·

Alleged rape victims. [Edit] Why is this flagged? Pre-trial, they're an alleged victim – not a victim.

• tzs 7y ago
  I don't think that is correct, because the question before the court is not whether or not the person is a victim. The question is whether or not the accused committed the crime they are charged with. If the accused is convicted, we can infer that the accuser was indeed a victim. However, if the accused is acquitted, we cannot infer that the accuser was not a victim--we can only infer that if they were a victim, they were victimized by someone other than the accused. (There's also some fuzziness in here because of the "beyond a reasonable doubt" standard from criminal cases). Your observation would only be correct in judicial systems in which an alleged victim has to undergo some sort of trial or hearing at which they must prove that a crime occurred against them before the system moves on to finding and trying someone for perpetrating that crime.
  • 0898 7y ago
    Okay, well reasoned. Perhaps “complainant” is more suitable than “victim” or “alleged victim”.
  • Udik 7y ago
    > However, if the accused is acquitted, we cannot infer that the accuser was not a victim--we can only infer that if they were a victim, they were victimized by someone other than the accused. Hm? I suppose that an overwhelming majority of rape allegations are made against one or more specific persons. If the accused are acquitted, the rape either didn't happen or cannot be proved because there are no witnesses and no evidence of it (which is in itself rather suspicious).