When a person’s house gets broken into, we do not blame the home owner for not having a better security system. We blame the criminal who broke the law. So why, when an individual is raped, do we assume that they are at fault rather than the rapist?
In modern society, an ugly form of judgement has become socially acceptable. Victim shaming is becoming a problem. When we assume that the reason an individual is raped is because they are wearing something too promiscuous or “asking for it,” we are coming to the aid of the criminal rather than the victim that needs help.
In a recent study, Adolescents' Cues and Signals - Sex and Assault conducted by Jacqueline Goodchilds, students were polled on their opinions of when it is okay for a male to force a female to have sexual intercourse. The results are shocking and frankly, heartbreaking. 39% of males and 12% of females believe that rape is okay as long as the male spent a large amount of money on the female, 43% of males and 32% of females believe rape is fine if the two have been dating for a long time, and a whopping 54% of males and 31% of females think that it is okay if the female plans to partake in sexual intercourse, but later changes her mind.
The fact that our generation continues to shame the wrong people is causing a major effect on the healing process of rape victims. Many attacks go unreported because of the blame that comes with being a victim of rape. Some victims who do attempt to seek help from those they trust are dissuaded and told that they must have done something wrong. Our society prevents the victims from getting the help that they need and deserve, and allows rapists to run free by creating such a negative connotation of those who are assaulted.
It is time that we put an end to blaming the victim. The type of clothing that one chooses to wear, whether they have had sexual intercourse prior to the attack, how they are acting, if they are intoxicated, or if they lead a person on are not justifiable reasons to explain why they have been raped. Rape is never justifiable. Our society needs to wake up and realize that those who are sexually assaulted, both male and female, require help, care, and should never be blamed for what happened to them. The moment that we stop blaming the victim and focus our efforts to prevent rape from occurring in the first place, the world will be a much healthier and safer place to reside.
