Victim Blaming

Victim blaming is the act of attributing partial or full responsibility, cause, blame or fault to an individual who has been subjected to crime, discrimination, harassment, abuse and/or violence. It can be either conscious or unconscious. Victim blaming silences victims and prevents them from seeking the help they need to recover from their trauma and reporting it to authorities. Victim blaming also enables perpetrators by making them feel that their victim deserves to be victimized and encourages them to continue or escalate their abusive behavior.

Research on victim blaming has found that there are two major factors that contribute to this negative attitude toward victims. One is people’s moral values and whether they tend toward “individual” or “binding” moral values. Individuals who have stronger individual values are more likely to be sympathetic to victims, while those with strong binding values favor preserving the integrity of the group and therefore are more inclined to see victims as blameworthy.

Another factor that leads to victim blaming is the individual’s level of empathy for others and their ability to put themselves in other people’s shoes. People who lack empathy are more critical of others and do not consider other people’s experiences and perspectives when interpreting situations. This often leads to victim blaming, as they are not willing to believe that the bad things that happen to others could have been prevented.

A third factor that influences victim blaming is the belief that the world is “just” and that people get what they deserve. This belief leads to devaluing and blaming victims, particularly those who are less desirable or vulnerable. It also gives perpetrators the justification to victimize them, as they believe that the victim “deserved” to be victimized and was not sufficiently protective of themselves or their surroundings.

It is important to understand that victim blaming not only damages victims, but society as a whole. It silences victims and inhibits their ability to seek the help that they need, report their victimization to authorities and become active members of society. Those who practice victim blaming are not only harming themselves, but also their family, friends and community.

It is also important to realize that victim blaming is not only an individual problem, but it’s prevalent in many institutions including police forces and social services agencies. The Durham Constabulary for example, has been accused of victim blaming for using language that implies victims are to blame for their sexual exploitation. This is unacceptable and should be condemned by all authorities who use it. They should instead adopt language that emphasizes a commitment to tackling the issue and the need for all of us to work together to ensure that children are not exploited. This includes addressing the need for all those who work with young people to be educated in preventing child sexual exploitation.