Victim blaming :

Victim blaming refers to a phenomenon in which victims of crimes are held accountable for what happened to them.

In our society there is an idea of looking at circumstances through tainted lenses, blame is assigned, when there is no actual understanding of the situation based on what they thought they read, not what the situation actually is.

 

There are a lot of people in our society , when they hear about something bad happening to anyone, their first instinct is to question the Victim of crime and tell them what they could have done differently to save themselves.

  • You shouldn’t have been there.
  • What were you wearing?
  • You should not go out alone.
  • You must have done something wrong.
  • You deserve it.

Whenever something traumatic happens to any other person, we often believe that he/she must have done something to deserve such a fate.

What a victim experienced didn’t happen to them because they “deserved it” trauma can happen to anyone at any time, and nobody deserves it. Terrible things, whether trauma, injuries, illness, or loss, are all part of life, and they’re often out of our control. And if there is a person to blame, it isn’t you-it’s the perpetrator.

no matter how good you might be, bad things can happen to Good people

Being blamed for bad experiences can lead to increase in mental disorders, depression and anxiety, victim blaming may decreases the likelihood that the victim of crime will seek help due to fear of being judged. while talking to someone who has been the victim of crime, kindly avoid asking questions about the event, because a victim may interpret questions as a kin
d of blame.

Psychological review

Victim blaming also obstructs the healing process of victim, When someone is blamed for their trauma, it can damage their self-esteem and lead to depression.

In contrast, when a survivor feels supported, it calms the fight-or-flight response and releases oxytocin, which reduces fear.

People can get defensive if we call them out and explicitly say,

“stop victim-blaming.” Instead, try providing them with another alternate perspective, So that they can come to their own realization of how limited their thinking patterns.

The world would feel like a safer place if people stopped victim-blaming.

The listener should always be willing to understand and support if they really want to help. Judging and blaming were never a way to spread positivity.

 

 

 

stopvictimblaming

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