Perhaps no other crime is more personal, from the victim's point of view, and leaves victims feeling completely out of control, vulnerable, often ashamed, confused, angry, and/or isolated. It doesn't matter that the victim knows, logically, that there are hundreds and thousands of others who have suffered the same crime. It's animal instinct, I think, to want to hide our weaknesses, to bury them even from ourselves. And so, I think rape victims, more than victims of any other crimes, tend not to report the crime hoping to regain some sense of control over their lives and avoiding being victimized in court or public opinion all over again.

It might be egocentric, but most rape victims aren't thinking about anybody else immediately after the rape. Eventually, I think most victims do hope for justice or want to prevent anyone else from becoming a victim, but if they have delayed reporting, their veracity will be called into question. I think that rape victims, more than any other type of crime victim, are victimized a second time while going through the justice system... and there is no guarantee of conviction. While facing the perpetrator almost always results in closure, even in the absence of a conviction, there are personal costs to count, as well.

In a perfect world, rape victims would always report the crimes, evidence gathered would always be conclusive, perpetrators would always be brought to justice, and victims would be treated with dignity as they help to prosecute the case against their attackers. I may not agree, now, with not reporting, but I can't condemn it, either. There but for grace go I.