Rape: Guilty until proven innocent?

[Mermaid]

Rape is an incredibly delicate matter.  I wouldn't say anyone should be presumed guilty until proven innocent, but at the same time all rape cases need to be taken seriously.  No assumptions can be made about the victim.  No matter what he or she was wearing, or how he or she looked, or his or her past sexual history.

I also cannot agree with the idea that people who make false accusations should be charged.  In a perfect world, that would be the ideal solution, but in the perfect world you wouldn't have false rape allegations to begin with (and you wouldn't have rape).  The real issue is that it would greatly discourage victims from reporting their rapes.  You add risk to reporting a rape, especially if you aren't sure there's enough evidence.  Rape convictions are notoriously hard to get.  And far too many rapes as it is go unreported, and uninvestigated.

If you want to protect those who are falsely accused of rape, then their identities should not be revealed unless proven Guilty.  By protecting their identities, guilty or not, you neither discourage people from reporting their rape, and take away much of the incentive of false accusations.

Excellent point.