High-profile trials and mass human rights violations should not be the basis upon which the world decides to lend focus to the sexual violence epidemic. And yet, those events appear to be the only time there’s a public discussion on the need to address rape. Multiple allegations against powerful male figures seems to be the formula that momentarily captures the world’s attention—but what happens once the headlines fade?
The uncomfortable truth is that one in three women will experience some form of violence in her lifetime. Not because of poor choices or bad luck, but because we live in a world where violence against women, including sexual violence, is not the exception—it’s the norm. Despite the scale of the crisis, cases are still treated as isolated incidents, detached from larger patterns of abuse and discrimination, often resulting in impunity marked by institutional failure that allows violence to persist and perpetrators to go unchecked.
Sexual violence can take many forms, and evidence shows that the majority of rape cases are of women being raped by men. As we continue to strive to accentuate survivor voices, it’s important to note that only a small proportion of rape case are officially reported to the police and an even smaller number are actually prosecuted. This is due in large part to societal stigma, systems that fail to prevent it, fail to prosecute it, and fail to hold perpetrators accountable for it. We keep asking women to share their trauma, to provide more data, to recount every detail of what was done to them, but we rarely ask the more important questions: Who is committing this violence? How often are they caught? How often are they prosecuted? How often do they walk free? What enables their significant impunity and the lack of regular public condemnation?
Where’s the data on perpetrators?
If we accept that a large number of women will experience sexual violence, then we must also confront the reality that a significant proportion of men will commit it. Studies have suggested that as many as 1 in 2 men will commit an act of sexual violence in their lifetime. A university study published in Violence and Gender conducted in the US showed that nearly 32 percent of college aged men would commit rape if they felt they could get away with it.
While these studies are limited in scale, they expose a deeply disturbing reality: sexual violence is not the isolated act of a few “monsters”; it can be committed by any man, young or old, as long as cultural acceptance and a lack of accountability allow for it.
In the case of Gisele Pelicot, a woman who was drugged and repeatedly raped by her husband and the men he invited to assault her over nine years, the world watched in horror as the identities of the perpetrators confirmed that while not every man is a predator, any man could be.
Impunity fuels sexual violence
Around the world, justice systems are failing to make perpetrators understand that there are consequences to committing offenses against women, who are not a special interest group, but half of the world’s population, targeted and abused by men because they are women. When sexual violence is not acknowledged as an epidemic and societies consistently fail to dismantle the conditions that allow abusers to act without consequence, impunity prevails, and the violence continues.
The Gisele Pelicot case and the horrors of Sudan, Haiti, and elsewhere should not be seen as isolated tragedies. These examples must not be used merely as moments to spark discourse but as an opportunity to create sustainable change in the way we see sexual violence cases and deal with abuses within justice systems worldwide.
It’s time to flip the script. No more waiting for another headline, another outrage, another trial to move us to action. The burden should not be on survivors to prove their experiences. The burden should be on systems to prove they are capable of justice.
Recommendations to End Sexual Violence
Legal officials, whether they be judges, lawyers, prosecutors, or police, hold the responsibility of ensuring justice is applied equally and upheld at all costs. In cases of sexual violence, regardless of the jurisdiction, this requires:
- shelving myths, stereotypes, and preconceived notions of survivors of sexual violence;
- seeking all the facts and understanding the context; and
- analyzing whether or not both parties have provided genuine and willing consent to participate in a sexual act.
It is a requirement among this group of professionals to serve justice by evaluating whether coercive circumstances, including and especially for marginalized groups, including people with disabilities, led to unwanted sexual acts.
While the international standards are clear, the world seems to still be missing this point. These standards should be adopted by national governments both in law and in practice.
Legal reform is just the beginning. Lasting change requires everyone, including men, to acknowledge the role they play in contributing to sexual violence or silencing those who speak out.
There has been justice
Amid the overwhelming prevalence of sexual violence and the global failures to prosecute it, there have been notable cases where justice has prevailed. Those cases act as blueprints for what justice can look like when systems work the way they should.
Brisa De Angulo v. Bolivia (2023): In a landmark ruling, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights held Bolivia responsible for the failure to prevent and investigate the sexual violence Brisa experienced as a child. This case marked the first time the Court recognized the specific barriers child survivors face in accessing justice, and reaffirmed that states have a legal obligation to address structural discrimination and impunity. It set a regional precedent for protection and accountability—and confirmed that states can be held responsible under international law when their systems fail survivors.
Russell Brand Charges and Investigations (UK 2025): In a high-profile case that brought to light allegations spanning over a decade, investigations into Brand’s behavior triggered broader conversations about institutional complicity within media outlets, employers, and police forces.
The Gisele Pelicot Trial (France 2024): In a case that stunned the nation and the world, Gisele Pelicot, in a nod to the prosecution of “family men” convicted of drugging and raping her, including and enabled by her husband, told us all that “shame must change sides”.
Each of these cases shows us that it’s possible to change the dialogue and achieve justice, listening to survivors, following international standards, and upholding the rule of law. Combining our efforts, we have the tools to make that true for all cases.
The call for legal implementation
As we continue to uplift survivor voices and experiences during Sexual Assault Awareness Month, it’s important to observe that survivors need more than to be at the forefront of awareness campaigns that are recycled year after year without tangible progress toward justice and accountability. They need justice. They need systems that are built to believe them, protect them, and prosecute those who harm them. They need criminal justice systems that are victim-centered, suspect-focused, and have context-led gendered approaches that ensure justice.
Look at landmark cases; apply those learnings. Research trauma responses in survivors; understand why speaking out can take time. Be thoughtful about questioning; what she was wearing is not important. Care about justice and about individual survivors, because regardless of their sex, gender, sexual orientation, or affiliation, the world must do better.