This week on Hashtag History, we are discussing the Cheryl Araujo Rape Case which became the first ever televised rape case. In 1983, Araujo was gang-raped by four men when she was only 21 years old. People stood around, watched it happen, and did nothing. Even worse, when her case was brought to trial, the narrative was flipped to essentially "blame the victim", to say Araujo brought it on herself, and that her rape was her fault.
Having the trial televised was a big deal. A rape case is an extremely sensitive trial to cover since it is widely known amongst courts and journalists that the names of victims of sexual assault do not get disclosed. Many States have laws prohibiting the disclosure of the name and address of rape victims as confidentiality is vital to their protection. But when Araujo took the stand for her testimony, her name and address accidentally became part of the official public record.
This case changed her life forever. And after watching what she went through, it also changed the willingness of many other sexual assault victims to come forward.
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