Blame the System Not the Victim

It is all too common in our society for the victims of rape and sexual assault to be the one’s blamed for the atrocious acts they have endured. It is more often than not men who rape or sexually assault women (although there are some cases the roles reverse). Instead of society teaching men at a young age about rape awareness, young women are taught and pressured to steer clear of situations that could lead down a dangerous path.

In many instances women are considered to blame for being victims of rape and sexual assault. Instead of warning women to not get too drunk or to leave their drink unattended, society should be telling men not to drug women or take advantage of them when they are in a vulnerable state. Women are also taught to not wear anything revealing because it could attract the “wrong attention”. Instead of teaching men that what a women wears does not mean she is “asking for it”.

When society creates excuses for the offenders of these crimes, it is enabling them. It is telling these offenders and others like them that these actions are okay. Our society should focus on the steps that need to be taken in order to keep our women safe, and to shift the blame to those who are guilty of such crimes. There is no instance a women should be to blame for any type of sexual assault. We cannot control things we cannot prevent and it is disgusting to think that anyone would thing that a women is to blame for their own sexual assault.

By educating young men about respecting the boundaries of women instead of sending young women to a self-defense class is something our communities should be more involved in. By just informing young men about the warning signs of sexual assault and how to prevent/stop a situation from progressing could go a long way. By informing our youth about this issue and merely discussing how wrong it is could also help. Deflecting the blame from the victims is also something that needs to be discussed by many. By blaming the victims for their assault is sending all the wrong messages. In order to get the results desired to protect the women in our society people need to be educated on who is really to blame for these horrible acts of violence.