Woman Receives Fine For Fighting Back 'Too Much' Against A Man Trying To Attack Her
This bleak reality is the reason why so many women have fears of coming forward with assault allegations.
Facebook A 24-year-old woman from the Southern European country Montenegro revealed that she was punished for defending herself against an attacker.
Milica Živković was shocked and hurt after being reprimanded by Montenegro court officials for attempting to save her own life, leading to an uproar in response from other women.
She was fined $88 for fighting back 'too much' against a man who was trying to assault her.
Milica, a university student, told Metro UK that she had been walking home with a friend after having a night out in the town of Kolašin when both she and her friend noticed a strange man was following quite closely behind them. While following the two women, the man had been trying to engage in conversation with them, to no avail as they actively tried to ignore him and brushed off his unwanted advances with laughter.
Unfortunately, that only seemed to anger him and the situation quickly took a deadly turn.
Milica confided with Metro UK that the man became violent, recalling, "He grabbed my chin… and then he grabbed me by my intimate part." The 24-year-old didn't think twice about using the defense moves she'd learned in kickboxing to defend herself.
"I hit him with a closed and then open fist, which I [learned] while training kickboxing for four years,” she explained. After using all of her strength to fight back in a downright terrifying situation, to her surprise, Milica ended up knocking him unconscious. "In such moments you can only think of the worst. But I fought as hard as I could, and of course, I knocked him out," she admitted.
Despite successfully avoiding an incident that could've turned out horribly, Milica was reprimanded during court proceedings.
She was taken aback when the court demanded that she pay a fine of €82 ($88) for allegedly "exceeding the necessity of self-defense” and for purposely “violating public order and peace.”
Milica remarked that as soon as she learned she was being fined, the decision made her feel "very uncomfortable."
As for her assailant, he was only required to pay €370 ($400) as a condition for his release from prison.
Milica's fine sparked protests from different women across major cities.
The court's decision to fine Milica when all she had been trying to do was defend herself didn't sit well with many other women in major cities across the Balkan nation, who immediately took to the streets to protest against both sexual violence and victim-blaming.
The verdict even caught the attention of Montenegro’s Prime Minister, Dritan Abazović, who issued a statement, per Metro UK, calling the decision "unfortunately devastating."
"I regret that such examples confirm how necessary we need changes in the judiciary and prosecutor’s office,” he said in his statement. "Milica was not afraid, but bravely and calmly defended herself from the bully, who eventually got the upper hand and was beaten.”
Speaking about the outpouring of love, Milica expressed gratitude for the number of people who are on her side and agree with her that the court's verdict is ludicrous.
"People’s response has been mostly positive," Milica, who is now actively working to appeal the ruling to ensure that the correct justice is served, said. "I have received a lot of support, which will help me reach my goal and get justice as soon as possible."
Being victim-blamed for gender-based violence is an unfortunate reality that stops many women from coming forward.
While this incident happened in Europe, it's incredibly common for women in the United States to have legitimate fears about coming forward with assault allegations because of how many women are often victim-blamed.
According to data acquired by the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN), the majority of sexual assaults are not reported to police in the United States. Only 310 out of every 1,000 sexual assaults are reported to police, meaning more than 2 out of 3 go unreported.
In a study, per Psychology Today, of one in five women who report sexual harassment, 80% found that nothing changed as a result, while 16 percent said the harassment worsened.
Oftentimes, women face questions and doubts about their behavior, attire, or actions leading up to the assault, as if those factors should somehow justify or explain the assault. On top of that, the justice system in this country is not always responsive when it comes to survivors' needs, and without adequate support services in place for women who choose to come forward, it simply hinders their belief that repercussions will happen to their perpetrators.
Milica's story resonated deeply with countless women who have faced similar situations of victim-blaming and unfair treatment after experiencing sexual assault. Her experience serves as a painful reminder of the challenges that many survivors face when they come forward with their experiences.
In a world where one out of every six American women has been the victim of an attempted or completed assault in her life, it's time we change the narrative and give women the chance to be heard, seen, and feel safe.
Nia Tipton is a Chicago-based entertainment, news, and lifestyle writer whose work delves into modern-day issues and experiences.