Why do victims of sexually transgressive behavior often remain silent?

Why do victims of sexually transgressive behavior often remain silent?

By movements such as #MeToo in recent years, more and more people are coming forward with their stories surrounding sexually transgressive behavior. Yet the majority of sex crimes still remain under the radar, without the victim disclosing his or her experiences. Thus, two-thirds of our Belgian population has already experienced sexually transgressive behavior, but most do not seek help for this and even fewer report these acts. The question is why victims are often hesitant to share their story or to report it?

There can be many reasons why a victim of a sex offense may keep quiet about it. For example, it is conceivable that the victim fears the consequences for his or her relationships with family and friends. It may also be because the victim does not want the perpetrator to be punished, or because the victim wants to avoid any kind of publicity.

However, one of the main reasons remains the fear of reactions of disbelief of others. The concept ''victim blaming' in which woeful reactions follow such as that the victim "must have deserved it" or "must have challenged it," is unfortunately still a reality.

Misconceptions also still prevail regarding sexual crimes. In the eyes of many outsiders, a rape always happens in a dark alley by an unknown man; all other forms of sexually transgressive behavior are less credible to them. In reality, however, sex offenses take very different forms and even happen most often in one's circle of acquaintances.

All these elements together often make the threshold quite high for a victim to report the events.

Although just that obtaining justice is often a crucial step in one's trauma recovery, breaking the silence can sometimes still feel very overwhelming. That is why movements such as #MeToo indispensable to make victims feel that they are not alone in telling their story. However, there is still a need for more awareness about sexual violence to make this phenomenon more discussable. In this way we support the victims on the one hand, but on the other hand hopefully this can also have a preventive effect.

As specialists in vice cases, the criminal lawyers at Bannister are always ready to offer a listening ear and guide you through further legal action with discretion. Do not hesitate to contact us at 03/369.28.00 or info@bannister.be.