Options besides abuse include: walking away, talking in the moment, respectfully explaining why an action is frustrating, breaking up, etc. Abusers have a choice in how they react to their partner’s actions. Reality: This statement assumes that the victim is equally to blame for the abuse, when in reality, abuse is a conscious choice made by the abuser. What Does Victim-Blaming Look Like?Įxample of Victim-Blaming Attitude: “She must have provoked him into being abusive. By engaging in victim-blaming attitudes, society allows the abuser to perpetrate relationship abuse or sexual assault while avoiding accountability for his/her actions. It is NOT the victim’s fault or responsibility to fix the situation it is the abuser’s choice. Victim-blaming attitudes also reinforce what the abuser has been saying all along that it is the victim’s fault this is happening. If the survivor knows that you or society blames her for the abuse, s/he will not feel safe or comfortable coming forward and talking to you. Victim-blaming attitudes marginalize the victim/survivor and make it harder to come forward and report the abuse. People reassure themselves by thinking, 'Because I am not like her, because I do not do that, this would never happen to me.' We need to help people understand that this is not a helpful reaction. By labeling or accusing the victim, others can see the victim as different from themselves. One reason people blame a victim is to distance themselves from an unpleasant occurrence and thereby confirm their own invulnerability to the risk. Refusing to take rape accusations seriously.Assuming that men don’t get raped or that only “weak” men get raped.Assuming only promiscuous women get raped.Defining “womanhood” as submissive and sexually passive.Defining “manhood” as dominant and sexually aggressive.Gratuitous gendered violence in movies and television.Publicly scrutinizing a victim’s dress, mental state, motives, and history.Trivializing sexual assault (“Boys will be boys!”).Blaming the victim (“She asked for it!”).Rape culture is perpetuated through the use of misogynistic language, the objectification of women’s bodies, and the glamorization of sexual violence, thereby creating a society that disregards women’s rights and safety. Rape Culture is an environment in which rape is prevalent and in which sexual violence is normalized and excused in the media and popular culture.

Most rapes are committed by