VICTIM BLAMING AS A FORM OF RAPE CULTURE: A HINDRANCE TO A WOMAN’S AUTONOMY

AUTHOR – NILANJANA GHOSH & ISHANI AFRIN, STUDENTS AT SISTER NIVEDITA UNIVERSITY

BEST CITATION – NILANJANA GHOSH & ISHANI AFRIN, VICTIM BLAMING AS A FORM OF RAPE CULTURE: A HINDRANCE TO A WOMAN’S AUTONOMY, INDIAN JOURNAL OF LEGAL REVIEW (IJLR), 4 (2) OF 2024, PG. 953-962, APIS – 3920 – 0001 & ISSN – 2583-2344.

Abstract

This legal journal argues that victim blaming constitutes a core tenet of rape culture, posing a significant hindrance to woman’s autonomy and access to justice. It examines the legal implications of victim blaming, exploring its impact on reporting rates, evidentiary values. This article also explores why it is absolutely necessary to break the myth that rape occurs because of some inconsistent behavioral patterns among women. Victim blaming has somehow become a general mindset among both the general public and the educated professionals. This article attempts to analyse the reason behind such a mindset thereby establishing a theory of victim-perpetrator attribution. The link between rape culture, victim blaming and criminal justice system is studied and substantial solutions are discussed in this article. It further analyses how sex workers also fall within the ambit of victim blaming.Keywords- rape culture, victim blaming, perpetrator, criminal justice system.