The Influence of Victim-Blaming
Domestic violence and sexual assault are difficult topics to discuss. In today's society, there seems to be a stigma that goes along with these two issues, a stigma that unfortunately incorporates victim blaming. Victim blaming is when the victim of a crime is held solely or partially responsible for the wrongful act done upon them. A recent example of victim blaming happened in the People v. Turner case. Brock Turner blamed college party culture and consumption of alcohol for a sexual assault he initiated rather than taking responsibility for the horrendous crime he committed. Turner, a former Stanford University student-athlete, sexually assaulted an intoxicated, unconscious woman behind a dumpster, whom he met at a house party. Turners’ defense attorney contributed to the victim-blaming when his way of defending this case was to point the finger at the victim and fixate on how much she drank on the evening of the sexual assault.
Victims of sexual assault, more times than not, are wrongfully judged when alcohol is involved, when certain clothing that may be considered “risqué” are worn or if the victim was thought to be flirtatious with the abuser. All of these aspects contribute to victim blaming within today’s society and most definitely played an immense role in the People v. Turner case. Turner's father stated that his son should not do jail time for the sexual assault which he referred to as “20 minutes of action”, and Judge Aaron Persky said “A prison sentence would have a severe impact on him. I think he will not be a danger to others”. Due to the lack of knowledge on sexual assault and the life-long impact it leaves on the victim, as well as frequent use of victim-blaming and the stigma attached to cases such as this one, Brock Turner received the lesser sentence which was only six months in jail.
This recent case, with its infuriating and unfortunate verdict, significantly adds to the stigma associated with sexual assault and contributes to victim blaming that has an effect on the outcomes of sexual assault cases. It should not matter how much alcohol was consumed, what kind of clothes the victim was wearing, if the victim was thought to be promiscuous or flirtatious; None of these factors should be used as a means against the victim. Rather than placing the focus on the victim and what they supposedly did wrong, the focus should be put on the abuser and why they committed such a crime. This case proved just how powerful of an impact victim blaming can have and the stigma that comes with sexual assault crimes.
It is important that domestic violence and sexual assault organizations continue to educate others on the severity of these crimes, advocate for victims when they feel like their voice is no longer being heard and provide services to victims and survivors. Such services include, but are not limited to; counseling and support groups in order to build their self-esteem back up and make it very clear that they are not to blame for society’s’ ignorance and lack of empathy regarding domestic violence and sexual assault. A victim may look down on themselves today but it is up to us, advocates, counselors and trained professionals to make sure they look back up at themselves and know without a shadow of a doubt that they are worth so much more than what society chooses to think. Today they may be a victim, but tomorrow, they can be a survivor.
Written by: Bernadette F., Union County Legal Advocate
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