Victim Blaming

Victim blaming is a common but harmful response to the experience of traumatic events and abuse. When people blame victims, it makes them feel as if they have brought on the event themselves and may be less likely to report it to authorities for fear of being judged. This silences victims and can increase the risk of them experiencing post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression and even suicide.

Victim Blaming can come from anyone, at any time, and can be indirect or covert. The most common examples are when friends and family members of an abuser do not believe the perpetrator’s actions, and instead attempt to explain or justify their behaviour by blaming the victim. For example, saying “She must have done something to him”, or “He was just drunk, he didn’t know what he was doing”.

Alternatively, victim blaming can also happen when professionals offer ‘help’ to young people who are being bullied online or in other settings and unknowingly convey the message that they were responsible for their harm. This can include telling them to block and delete the bullying, or making suggestions that they should not respond to the threatening messages by ‘blocking them’ or reporting them. This can be a particularly challenging issue to address because it is sometimes unconsciously done by those who would like to support the young person in question.

It can be difficult to understand why people do this, but there are some key reasons behind it. One reason is that people want to believe that the world is fair, and if something bad happens to someone it must be their fault, this is known as the just-world phenomenon. Another reason is that people do not like to hear information that contradicts their view of a person, and so they will often reject this in favour of what they already believe.

Finally, victim blaming can also occur when people feel compelled to take action in the face of tragedy and do not consider the impact that their actions could have on others. For example, taking away a child or young person’s device or banning them from using an online platform or app may seem like the right thing to do, but this can have the effect of victim blaming, as it tells the victim that they have been the cause of the harm themselves and may reduce their motivation to report the crime.

Understanding why people do this can help us to identify and challenge victim blaming, both when we see it being done and when we are unconsciously guilty of doing it ourselves. In addition, it can help to identify helpful ways to support survivors and to dismantle harmful attitudes. If we can all become aware of the issues surrounding victim blaming then this will be an important step towards reducing the number of victims of sexual violence and other forms of abuse.