Sexual Assault; Is Victim to Blame?

by Clara Martinez
Sexual Assault to many is considered a violent crime. This type of act not to mention can happen
anywhere and to anyone. Most victims are not just women, but also men and children, that never
imagined for this act of violence to happen to them. Being sexually assaulted can cause lifetime
consequences for the survivor.Unfortunately, this crime goes unreported by many victims and
most perpetrators get away with this crime. This is because society does not know how to
approach the victim and because they blame them saying they asked for it either because they did
not say no or their clothing was provocative. It is important to understand that the absence of a
no does not mean a yes, the decision of having sex should always involve the consent of two
people. A critical thing to know is that a victim of sexual assault is never to blame; therefore we
must create a cultural change and educate the victims and their family to stop the violence and
break the silence.
Victims of sexual assault face many adversities, such
adversities include physical, emotional, and mental
problems. For example, they could gain a sexual
transmitted disease or have low self-steem which this
could lead them to the terrible alternative of suicide
all due to the perpetrator. The National Institute of
Justice (2010) research on rape and sexual violence
indicate that most victims know the attacker or
perpetrator. Thus, most perpetrators could potentially
be people related or a former intimate partner and or
an acquaintance to the victim (The White House
Council, 2014).
From a personal perspective, this is completely true,
most of the victims know the perpetrator and as a
result of this, victims are afraid of getting help . In
the research Adegoke Adefolalu (2014) performed he
mentioned that the number one reason why victims delayed presenting at the hospital was
because of fear of the perpetrator and it also included reasons such as lack of faith in the criminal
justice. Which goes to show that we must educate the victims on the importance of not letting
fear stop them from seeking help.
Victims tend to feel alone and they self-blame themselves feeling unworthy and very confused
and usually search for help and turn to their loved ones to help with their effects. As their love
one, it is important to know the correct ways to help the victim to recover from being sexually
assaulted. According to A Band Back Together (n.d.) encourage but never pressure your loved
one to seek medical attention, always listen without judgment, and assure them that it wasnt
their fault reminding them that you will be by their side no matter what and lastly remind them
that there is no right or wrong way to feel after being sexually assaulted. Unfortunately this is not
the case the family members do exactly the opposite. This all serve as good examples to properly
approach a victim that has experienced sexual assault.
In means of fixing this issue it is important to create knowledge and educate society on this issue
and also implement the laws in order for the perpetrators not to get away with the crime. It can
be concluded that victim needs all the help they can get after this traumatic experience and as a
society we must help them progress. Progress is the key for them not to live in fear and in silence
for the rest of their lives.

References
A Band Back Together. (n.d.) How to help someone heal from a rape or sexual assault Retrieved
from http://www.bandbacktogether.com/How-To-Help-Someone-Heal-From-Sexual-
Assault/
Adefolalu, A. (2014). Fear of the perpetrator: a major reason why sexual assault victims delayed
presenting at hospital. Tropical Medicine and International Health, 19 (3), 343-347. doi:
10.111/tmi.12249
National Institute of Justice. (2010) Victims and perpetrators Retrieved from
http://www.nij.gov/topics/crime/rape-sexual-violence/Pages/victims-perpetrators.aspx
The White House Council on Women and Girls. (2014). Rape and sexual assault: a renewed call
to action. Retrieved from
http://iaclea.org/visitors/about/documents/WhiteHouseCouncil_sexual_assault_report_1-
21-14.pdf