49. Outline and discuss the fears about intrusive press coverage, unwanted publicity, and victim-blaming accusations that
discourage some sexual assault victims from turning to the criminal justice system for help.
Victim-blaming presents a barrier to women wanting to report a rape, especially in the
majority of cases when the offender is an acquaintance. Society has often focused on the
blame-worthiness of the victim, arguing that she was “asking for trouble” by what she was
wearing, how she was acting, or with whom she was associating. Any behavior outside the
socially prescribed gender roles will be the heart of the blame. If she was drinking,
hanging out in a bar, or flirting, these behaviors would be viewed as careless acts
contributing to inevitable victimization.
The media are more concerned with covering stranger rapes and rapes that included
physical injuries than with covering acquaintance rapes, the most common type. The
media will simplify the character of the victim to either a pure, innocent woman, or a slut.
With the latter, the blame will be placed on the victim and this will be publicized widely,
having detrimental impacts on the victim’s chances of obtaining justice through the
criminal justice process. There has been controversy over whether to publicize the name
of the rape victim. One side contends that rape victims need the additional protection,
especially in light of the social mores that tend to blame her. The flip side contends that
this is a violation of a defendant’s right to a fair trial, and that the media should not be
censored.
The oldest approach to addressing sexual assault, which has been strongly denounced
today, was that of victim-blaming, for example, “she was asking for it” by behaving