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The prevalence of victim blame says a lot about our societal attitude towards women
“Why was she out so late at night?” This is, among many others, a particularly puzzling and accusing question to which victims are subjected whenever a crime of some nature is reported.
The emotional and, depending on the case, physical trauma inflicted on them is already excessive. Even after mustering the courage to speak out, it is a grim reality that confronts victims, acting as a catalyst to perpetuate the crime and suppress the victims.
Victim blame, as the name suggests, is a scenario where the fault lies with the victim rather than the perpetrator. This is a recurring phenomenon that has been deeply rooted in the disposition of society towards women.
This doesn’t just happen explicitly in the comments section of a news article. Unfortunately, in most cases, the victim’s family members and relatives have unwittingly or unintentionally taken part in this underhand notion. Several layers exist in victim blame, from straightforward accusations to more subtle references to fault.
The normative practice of blaming victims says a lot about our societal attitude towards women. Obviously, we know that women face prejudices in different spheres of society, and being blamed fully or partially for the harm that has happened to them is a manifestation of this.
Sociologists say that the negative attitude towards women stems from the status of women in society. Historically, women were placed at the bottom of the social hierarchy, which left them much less autonomous over their own social, economic and political life.
Globally, despite institutional discrimination and cultural sanctions, women constitute almost a third of the global formal workforce. Although the entry of women into the formal economy is a relatively new event, they play an important role both in manufacturing industries (like RMG in Bangladesh) and in service sectors (like nursing and nursing). education) globally.
Despite their growing presence in the formal economy, women’s incomes tend to be on average lower than men’s in all regions of the world. According to the latest UN report, the gender pay gap in Bangladesh is the lowest in the world (2.2%), but the global average is still 21.2%. Even in agricultural countries, women are estimated to produce half of the world’s food, but they rarely own land.
Not only in the economic sphere, but also politically, women have been subjected to subordination and oppression. Take a look at the political structure of Bangladesh: women remain grossly under-represented. For example, only 22 of the country’s 300 members of parliament are women. The representation of women in politics at the local level is even duller. There have been some improvements, but there is still a lot to do.
The aforementioned economic and political subjugation of women causes them to suffer from second-class status. Their socio-economic status in society locks them in a vulnerable position that ultimately makes them vulnerable to sexual harassment, hate speech, rape and, possibly, victim blame.
However, the Munia suicide case generated moral panic among the people of Bangladesh, at least on social media. People in general, political commentators, experts and social rights organizations raised their voices. This unprecedented example of speaking out against the blame of victims opens the door to greater social change. We could use public sentiment to amend existing laws in Bangladesh that support a woman’s immoral character as a defense, even if she first accuses someone of rape or sexual assault. These outdated legalities are not conducive to a progressive society.
Crimes happen because criminals commit them, period. It is absurd to correlate someone’s disposition and blame them, rather than correcting the deranged psychology behind the abuser.
In this regard, education can serve as a driving force to curb the societal epidemic of victim blame. By education, therefore, we should not limit ourselves to quantitative figures for secondary school enrollment or participation. The qualitative aspect requires a lot of progress if the state is to consider its education as a holistic instrument for raising better individuals. The topics of consent, personal space and ethics need to be imbued with the current structure, where the emphasis needs to be on getting the message across rather than getting scores.
Primary learning begins in the early stages of a person’s life, usually very young. It is during this time that young children are most impressionable and develop their individual values later in life. It is the responsibility of caregivers to ensure that the core values of decency and ethics are conveyed properly, which can greatly contribute to their development as empathetic individuals. This is not to say that attitudes cannot be changed later in life, these concepts are not very difficult to understand. With the right social messages and the right school curriculum, behavior change can be sought.
That being said, change begins from within. The individual self plays the indispensable role that can propel the collective change within the society that we so desperately seek. It would be very beneficial to sit down and critically dissect his pointless comments and the weight that this can place on a victim. Empathy is a hallmark of human nature and therefore, we must learn to exercise it when it is most needed. After all, a little consideration doesn’t hurt.
Md Aftab Alam is Senior Lecturer, Department of Economics and Social Sciences, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Brac. Mahir Labib graduated in economics from the University of Brac.
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