Hi Revealer,

My name is Rachel de Leon, the lead reporter for “Victim/Suspect." The film reveals a nationwide pattern: When young people report sexual abuse to police, their stories are twisted, police coax out a false recantation, and those who began as victims end up being punished.

I was humbled and honored that survivors trusted me with their harrowing experiences. Now, their stories are available all over the world on Netflix. I hope it helps them feel supported and uplifted.

In its debut week, “Victim/Suspect” was streamed for 6.6 million hours and was in the top 10 films in 11 countries. But our work isn’t over yet. We want more people to watch this film: survivors, friends of survivors, advocates, as well as people with the power to change the systems that protect abusers. 

That's why we launched an impact campaign with consulting firm Red Owl Partners, which will be working to schedule screenings, put together resource guides and find collaborators who can effect positive change. 

As part of the impact campaign, I emailed news organizations that wrote about Emma Mannion and Dyanie Bermeo, two women who were arrested after reporting their sexual assaults to police. The stories included the full names and photos of the women and inevitably contributed to brutal harassment they faced online. Our reporting cast serious doubt on the police cases against them, and Dyanie was even acquitted. But the stories about their arrests were still online. 

After my outreach, two newsrooms took down their stories about Dyanie. 

In response to this news, Dyanie told me, “I feel as though it’s a huge step towards my healing.” 

I will continue to reach out to news organizations that have left up stories naming these young women without challenging the narrative provided by police.