When a Student Confides a Rape, Should a Professor Have to Report It?

[dballance]

15. Agreed.

I had to ponder this for a bit.

I believe one of the reasons K-12 educators and counselors are required to report is the victims are minors. In far too many of those cases the abuse is at the hands of a family member and not a stranger. CPS needs to get those kids out of that situation.

Once one is an adult there should be no mandatory reporting by educators. The victim should be able to feel assured they can seek help and counseling without the whole nasty event being dredged into the system without their consent. Do I believe that the counseling by professors should include them encouraging the victim to report the abuse to law enforcement? Absolutely.

However, some victims will be better served by being able to seek counseling without fear of having law enforcement involved. We need to encourage women (and some men) to seek counseling for a horrible event. If the law is that all these events must be reported then many people will not seek the help they need and require. I believe that is probably more true of adults who will feel the stress and shame of having been abused.