known. if i got shot and killed today in my office it would be known almost immediately. as sad as that would be, there is nothing private about murder. even physical abuse (DV, etc) is hard to hide as physical wounds and scars can appear. rape is different. it is private. it is usually only known by the victim and the perp. the ONLY way anyone else will know is if it's reported.

the already psychologically damaged victim should not have ANY stumbling blocks in her way on the road to reporting what happened to her.

is it 100% fair? probably not. does it result in some fraudulent reports? sure. that's a small price to pay than to live for the rest of your life a victim of a crime worse than murder/death. (prophet's words, not mine)