It comes towards the end of this Quartz item about the matter:
The sentiments in the letter go directly against the basic principles that most agree on when it comes to how to respond to sexual-assault allegations: Its writers malign the accuser, suggest the accused’s prominence should influence how they’re treated, and claim—without conducting an investigation of their own or providing evidence—that the accused cannot be found guilty. It also portrays the act of investigating as actively harmful to the accused.
These attitudes, when put forward in defense of accused men, have been rightly criticized. Contemporary methods of investigating sexual harassment and assault—whether criminal, civil, or workplace tribunal—have failed to protect victims and allowed perpetrators to escape unpunished. In this context, claiming that the very act of accusing someone or conducting an investigation causes harm seems to prop up a system that typically protects the accused.
That’s not to say investigations aren’t incredibly trying for those who are innocent. And it’s understandable that those close to those under investigation would seek to defend them—whether the accused is a female professor or male tycoon.
But, in a society that takes sexual violence seriously, all accusations must be investigated. Suggesting an investigation, ahead of any decision, is in itself an injustice shows a total lack of concern for victims of this widely underreported crime. Many of those who signed the letter defending Ronell are feminist theorists who support these principles in theory. In practice, there should be no exceptions to these rules, even when the professor under investigation is a woman.
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