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Abigail Breslin Had The Most Perfect Response To Person Who Said Her Rape Didn't Count

by Sean Abrams
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After unnecessary backlash from an Instagram troll, Abigail Breslin crafted the perfect response to why some women are in fear of reporting their sexual assaults.

To coincide with Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month, the 21-year-old actress posted an infographic on Instagram that shed light on the number of rapes that actually end up getting reported and what happens to the suspects accused of said rape.

The RAINN infographic starts off with a startling statistic: "Out of every 1000 rapes, 994 perpetrators will walk free." Of those 1000 rapes, just 310 are actually disclosed to law enforcement, with a mere seven of those reports actually leading to a conviction in court.

Breslin also added a "#knowthefacts" caption to accompany the powerful infographic.

In the same day, Breslin posted another photo, this time, in response to a commenter who said, "Reported rapes are the only rapes that count."

Breslin composed a few paragraphs with the header "TRIGGER WARNING" and went on to explain why she didn't report her own sexual assault.

“I did not report my rape. I didn't report it because of many reasons,” Breslin's post read. “First off, I was in complete shock and total denial. I didn't want to view myself as a 'victim' so I suppressed it and pretended it never happened.”

Breslin went on to explain that she was in a relationship with her rapist and feared no one would take her account seriously.

She wrote,

I was diagnosed with PTSD a year and a half ago. I have made a lot of progress since the event occurred, but I won't pretend it isn't something I struggle with. I still have flashbacks, I still get nightmares, I still jump when somebody touches me unexpectedly, even if it's my best friend tapping me on the shoulder. To say that rapes-reported are the only rapes that count, contributes to the ideology that survivors of unreported rape don't matter. It's unfair, untrue and unhelpful. It's like you got a black eye from getting punched in the face, but because you didn't call the police, you didn't really get a black eye.

Breslin's culminating words were brief, but still as impactful as you'd expect: "Unreported rapes count. Reported rapes count. End of the story.”

Earlier this month, on April 11, 2017, Breslin first admitted that she had been raped and that her rapist was definitely not a stranger in a post on Instagram.

The photo itself read, "You are not obligated to have sex with someone that you're in a relationship with. Dating is not consent. Marriage is not consent," and Breslin captioned the post, "I knew my assailant."

This admission and her subsequent posts were met with extreme support and praise from fans, most of whom were happy she was able to voice something so personal to the open.

The only word I can think of to describe her isn't "victim," but rather, "hero."

Citations: Abigail Breslin Had A Powerful Response To Commenter Who Said Only Reported Rapes 'Count' (The Huffington Post)