Blame Rapists, Not Victims

According to a study, more than a quarter of people believe a woman is responsible for her rape if she wears sexy or revealing clothing, or acts flirtatiously, or is drunk. One in five think a woman is partly responsible if it is known she has many sexual partners. More than a third believe if a woman has failed to say “no” to the man, then she is responsible for being raped. The study revealed that a greater proportion of men held these views. Alarming findings!

So questions arise, why are women being blamed for their sexual assault? Why do people think that a woman invites her sexual assault because of what she is wearing, what she drinks or how she behaves?

Women do not cause “inviting circumstances” and an invitation to what? Well the sexist world should know, “nobody asks to be raped.”

In 1999, in an Italian Supreme Court, a rape victim was held accountable because she was wearing tight jeans so she must have helped her rapist remove her jeans, implying her consent. In 2011, a police officer in Toronto told a group of 10 female students, “Women should avoid dressing like sluts in order not to be victimized.” In 2011, the governor of Jakarta spoke out, “imagine if someone sits on board a mikrolet wearing a miniskirt; you would get a bit turned on.” In 2016, a judge in Canada asked a rape survivor, “Why couldn’t you just keep your knees together?”

So why are we still under the influence of the term “victim blaming”? Because not much has changed. When it comes to helping and understanding the victims of rape, our culture is still the same as it was years before. There are just as many stories that make it feel like we are moving backwards. All the above incidents highlight the standards of this sexist society asking women to adjust to their environment so that they don’t invite people to sexual assaults.

Why the rape survivors are being asked questions like “what were you wearing? Were you drunk?” Such questions cause an anguish in rape survivors that causes them to find some fault within them. They know that it was not their fault but such questions cause self-blame. The statements “she was asking for it” highlights the ever-changing dialogue about the victims of sexual assault. People need to learn that, “No, she was not asking for it. So stop this “blame culture.”

It is appalling that so many people blame women for their sexual assault. People must educate themselves about the horrible and devastating impact of rape upon the victims and the sexist “blame culture” that targets women for their sexual assault. The “blame culture” highlights public ignorance towards this sensitive issue. People should raise awareness for sexual assault rather than playing the “blame culture.” Only public awareness will change the “victim blaming.”

Women are not responsible for their sexual assault so they cannot be held accountable due to their clothing, drinking and their behavior. Clothing does not cause rape, drinking does not cause rape. Nothing causes rape except for rapists. So it is just that clear and simple that women don’t provoke rape.