There are so many reasons Survivors don’t report.And not one of them makes your story less true. Some of you were children, trying to survive another
There are so many reasons Survivors don’t report.
And not one of them makes your story less true.
Some of you were children, trying to survive another day in a house that claimed to love you.
Some of you were adults, told to hush for the sake of careers, churches, families, or reputations.
Some of you didn’t have words yet. Some of you did—and still weren’t believed.
You deserved safety.
But short of safety, you definitely deserved justice.
We see you.
Today. Every day.
Around the globe, you are not alone.
According to the World Health Organization, the vast majority of sexual assaults are never reported.
In the United States, only 25% of rapes are reported to the police.Âą
Among children, the numbers are even more devastating—only 12% ever tell anyone.²
Among Black women, disabled people, Indigenous Survivors, lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals, and immigrants, underreporting is even more common. Not because the pain is any less—but because the systems are no safer.
✨ Affirmations for Those Who Never Reported
I am a Survivor—even if I never said the words out loud.
My silence was not weakness. It was strategy. It was survival.
I did what I had to do to stay alive, stay safe, or stay sane.
I do not owe anyone my story to prove that it’s real.
What happened to me matters, even if no one was ever charged or punished.
I did not fail. The system did.
I am allowed to heal in private, and still deserve public respect.
My body still belongs to me.
My voice still belongs to me.
My story still belongs to me.
And if no one told you today:
We believe you.
We see you.
We honor you.
You were never invisible.
The world just wasn’t ready for your fire.
But now?
You’re healing.
And that, brave one, is sacred.
🔍 A Call to the Safe Adults
As you are able, let’s make sure that our schools, political leaders, organizations, and corporations are focusing on preventing and addressing violence and harm in practical, unifying, commonsense ways—not ideological ones.
We need less performance.
More prevention.
Less posturing.
More policies that protect real people.
Survivors are not hashtags—we are humans.
Sources:
Âą RAINN: Reporting Rates
² ChildUSA: Reporting Child Sexual Abuse
