Alyssa Milano Further Details Why She Never Reported Teenage Sexual Assault

Alyssa Milano further opened up about why she never reported being sexually assaulted as a [...]

By Daniel S. Levine

Alyssa Milano further opened up about why she never reported being sexually assaulted as a teenager in a new op-ed in response to President Donald Trump's recent tweets and to show support for Christine Blasey Ford, the professor who accused Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault.

On Friday, Milano retweeted Trump's assertion that if Ford was attacked as badly as she claims, "charges would have been immediately filed with local law enforcement authorities by either her or her loving parents." However, this inspired people across the country to share why they did not report their sexual assaults with the #WhyIDidntReport hashtag.

Milano was inspired as well, writing to Trump, "I was sexually assaulted twice. Once when I was a teenager. I never filed a police report and it took me 30 years to tell me parents. If any survivor of sexual assault would like to add to this please do so in the replies."

On Sunday, Milano further explained why she took three decades to talk to her own parents about the assault when she was a teenager in a new Vox op-ed.

"It took me years after my assault to voice the experience to my closest friends. It took me three decades to tell my parents that the assault had even happened," Milano wrote. "I never filed a police report. I never told officials. I never tried to find justice for my pain because justice was never an option."

For the Charmed actress, speaking up "meant reliving one of the worst moments of my life. It meant recognizing my attacker's existence when I wanted nothing more than to forget that he was allowed to walk on this Earth at all."

"This is what every survivor goes through," she continued. "Telling our stories means being vulnerable to public attacks and ridicule when our only "crime" was to be assaulted in the first place.

"And we are not alone. One in four girls and one in six boys will be sexually abused before they turn 18 years old. This is the reality for survivors of sexual assault: our journey begins in fear and, for many of us, it continues in fear for the rest of our lives. Yet, today, we will not be silenced," she added.

Milano went on to encourage readers to check out the thousands of stories shared by others on Twitter. She also voiced support for Ford again, and wrote that anyone still supporting Kavanaugh is "telling every generation of Americans that an alleged abuser's career is more valuable than a survivor's humanity. And the highest court in our land is no place for an alleged sexual offender to sit."

In the end, Milano also voiced support to all survivors of sexual assault. "Know that I see you. I believe you. I am you. And know that we will do whatever we can to stop Brett Kavanaugh from serving on the Supreme Court of our United States," she wrote.

Milano has been one of the most outspoken Hollywood stars since the #MeToo movement began last fall. She also tweeted Saturday that she plans to join a nationwide walkout on Monday to support Ford and survivors of sexual assault, organized by NARAL Pro-Choice America.

Ford will testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday, her lawyers said Sunday, reports CBS News. She has accused Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her when they were in high school, an allegation Kavanaugh has denied.

Photo credit: Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images

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