Gillibrand: Avoid "victim blaming" in UVA rape story

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, who is pushing for stronger laws against rapes on college campuses, today warned against people criticizing the woman at the center of a University of Virginia sexual assault case.

Yesterday, police in Charlottesville said they were unable to verify that the alleged sexual assault occurred after a controversial Rolling Stone magazine article detailed the female student's alleged ordeal in 2012 at a fraternity house.

The story has been full of discrepancies, as reports in the Washington Post and elsewhere found, and the magazine has since published an apology.

But Gillibrand said the ire over the case shouldn't shift blame onto victims, who already have a hard time coming forward to authorities.

"Victim blaming or shining the spotlight on her for coming forward is not the right approach," Gillibrand said on "The Capitol Pressroom," a public radio show in Albany. "In fact, what we have to focus on is how do we keep these campuses safe? How do we have better trained personnel on campuses so they can tell a survivor what her options are and so they can have all the facts?"

Gillibrand said it would be wrong for some to call on the female student in the UVA scandal to face criminal charges.

"I think it’s inappropriate," she said. "One of the challenges with survivors of sexual trauma and rape is that they often don’t want to actually participate with law enforcement because they don’t think justice is possible. They don’t think they will be believed; they think they’ll be blamed."

Gillibrand said her Campus Accountability & Safety Act would provide better rights for victims and those accused of the crimes. She applauded Gov. Andrew Cuomo for a similar initiative, an "Enough is Enough" campaign.

"It’s not about any one case or any one investigation. It’s about a very serious problem that is taking place across campuses across the country," she said.