When the story of two former gymnasts who were allegedly sexually assaulted by Larry Nassar, a former doctor for USA Gymnastics and Michigan State Athletics, was publicized, over 150 other victims also gathered the courage to speak up about their assault by the same perpetrator. Such was the impact that in this case, Judge Rosemarie Aquilina, while sentencing the perpetrator to 175 years in prison, remarked that she was “shaken to [her] core.” She also permitted any victim who wished to speak, as well as parents of victims, to narrate vivid details of the abuse they or their children faced, the impact that it had on their lives, and the effect that it continues to have on them till date.
In this case, the victims differed based on age, background, education and employment status, and the length and extent of the abuse. In this case, the comments made by the victims were admittedly therapeutic to the survivors and made them believe in the justice process. At the same time, they also provided Judge Aquilina with an opportunity to understand the different impacts of the crime on the victims and the longevity of such implications, just as she also considered the mitigating circumstances and defenses of the accused person.
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