Fact: it is never the victim's fault.
What is Victim Blaming?
In the context of sexual assault, victim-blaming is the idea that the victims somewhat provoked the sexual assault they experienced and therefore must hold some responsibility for what happened to them rather than blaming the perpetrator. Victim-blaming is problematic as it discourages survivors from sharing their stories for fear of being wrongfully accused. Unfortunately, it also leads to people actively shifting focus away from holding sexual predators accountable.
Look at what they were wearing, what did they expect?
Clothing is not consent. A person's body belongs only to themselves and what they wear, in no way give someone the right to violate them.
Why didn't they fight back?
It is not for anyone to hypothesize how the victim should have reacted. Survivors often report being in shock for them, or in cases of intimate partner violence (IPV,) survivors often report not being able to hurt the person they love. This goes to show that there is no universal way in which survivors behave.
Why did they get so drunk?
A person being drunk does not change the fact that they are the only one entitled to their body. Furthermore, a person cannot give consent when they are intoxicated.
Victim-blaming is a significant contributor as to why sexual predators feel comfortable enough to victimize individuals as they know that their victims will be invalidated and forced to deal with the burden of what happened to them. This needs to stop as it is sexual predators who are at fault and must face the consequences for their actions.
