How Can You Stop Victim Blaming?

When a crime or traumatic event occurs, it is natural to try and understand what caused it. However, some of us go too far in our explanations, and this is called victim blaming. This is a harmful reaction to a traumatic experience that can have many negative effects on victims.

The underlying psychological phenomenon that fuels victim blaming is known as the fundamental attribution error, which involves attributing other people’s behaviours to their internal or personal characteristics while overlooking external forces and variables. This bias can be influenced by a person’s culture, education, social status, job and even area of habitation.

Victim blaming is common and often comes from a place of not being able to empathize with the victim’s situation, as well as a fear reaction triggered by the human desire for self-preservation. It is also often fueled by internal beliefs like the just-world phenomenon, in which people believe that everything happens for a reason and that you get what you deserve in life.

Some perpetrators also disown accountability for their crimes and actions, and as a result, blame the victim. The common saying, “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned” is a perfect example of this. Victims are also often blamed by their loved ones who do not want to think that the person they know could harm them.

Research shows that the blaming behavior is more likely to occur when a crime is committed by someone that a person knows, rather than a stranger. This is because a person feels more comfortable with their own sense of safety and trust in the people they know, so it is easier for them to rationalize an uncomfortable situation as being “in the gray area.”

When reading about a crime on the news or seeing it discussed on social media, it is also easy to fall into victim-blaming traps. Especially when the crime is perpetrated by someone close to the victim, such as a family member or friend. When this type of abuse occurs, loved ones can become suspicious and doubtful about the story and can respond with questions like:

How Can You Stop Victim Blaming?

It is important to remember that it is never the victim’s fault when they are victimized. It is important to listen and support survivors, tell them that what happened was not their fault and direct them to safe support systems. It is also vital that we encourage people to report all incidents of violence and abuse, as this can help to prevent future assaults or rapes from occurring. So, next time you hear a friend or loved one say something like, “It’s all your own fault,” remind them that it is not and encourage them to seek help for their trauma.