In my second year of university a classmate was sexually assaulted by someone she didn’t know on holiday. Her boyfriend was part of a big group of friends in our department and he immediately broke up with her and blamed her for her own assault. The majority of the year group just decided that she was lying and male and female classmates alike stuck by her ex, visibly and vocally. They called her a liar and “crazy”. It felt like she was outcast. I accompanied her to the sexual health clinic afterwards when she found out she was pregnant and then later had an abortion. She took an overdose after the abortion and I just remember trying to get in touch with her parents to persuade them to check on her and please help her. I had thought her ex was a decent guy and I sometimes see him on Facebook and wonder if he has actually reckoned with his role in her assault. At the time I didn’t have a good understanding of feminism at all, I just felt it more instinctively. Now, looking back I am appalled at the situation she/we faced.
