Thinking of blaming the victim
Professional Director of Lumos Psychological Center, Deputy Head of Department in charge of Psychology at Hung Vuong University Ho Chi Minh City - Master Vuong Nguyen Toan Thien analyzed the psychological mechanism behind public blame on victims and affirmed that judgment is causing "double harm" to people who are harassed and sexually abused.
The reality after the cases of harassment and abuse shows that public opinion is very likely to have a wave of dissection of the victim's private life, dressing style or lack of caution.
Explaining this from a socio-psychological perspective, MSc. Vuong Nguyen Toan Thien said that the above reaction stems from a mechanism called "belief in a fair world".
When faced with an injustice, admitting bad things that can happen to anyone will bring feelings of insecurity.
Therefore, many people unconsciously look for the cause in the victim to create a sense of security that they can control and prevent risks.
However, this is just a false sense of security. Psychologically, this prejudice disguises the essence of the problem: shifting the focus from prosecuting the wrongdoing of the perpetrator to investigating what the victim did wrong.
Experts affirm: A person's clothing, communication style or level of vigilance cannot be seen as consensus, and even less as a basis to justify their act of violating the boundaries of their body.
The act of abuse has already deprived the victim of physical autonomy and sense of security.
More worryingly, when the matter is brought to public attention, the wave of judgment from the crowd may cause them to suffer more "secondary damage" (double damage).
At this time, the message that the victim receives from the surrounding environment turns into pressure. This shift in responsibility deepens the feeling of self-blame, shame, deadlock and collapses trust in society.
Especially in cyberspace, when personal images and private details are brought up for discussion, many victims choose to remain silent to protect themselves, not daring to report or continue pursuing legal procedures.
The community's lack of empathy can reduce the victim's ability to speak out, seek support, or continue legal proceedings.
Public confusion
A very common mistake today is to see personal style or openness in communication as an invitation.
Discussing personal boundaries, M.A. Toan Thien emphasized that each person has full power to decide with their body and this boundary is not something others are allowed to speculate on themselves.
Consensus must be voluntary and clear in each specific interaction: agreeing to hold hands does not mean agreeing to other contacts; agreeing at this time does not mean agreeing at another time, and consensus can be completely withdrawn at any time" - the expert said.
Experts also clarified the survival reflexes of humans in the face of danger. When facing threats, humans cannot always resist or run away.
The nervous system can trigger freeze, immobility, submission, or soothe the situation to reduce the risk of injury. Therefore, the fact that a person does not scream or does not resist fiercely cannot automatically be interpreted as they have agreed.
In addition, exploiting unrelated personal information such as the victim's love history or lifestyle easily turns the media and social networks into a "moral court", where the victim's dignity is investigated instead of focusing on illegal acts.
MSc. Toan Thien recommends that before sharing or commenting, each person should ask themselves: "Does this information help to understand correctly and prevent wrongdoings, or does it only make the victim suffer more judgment?
To solve the root of the problem, changing perceptions about sex education and a culture of respect for personal rights is the core.
Sex education needs to go beyond the framework of biological knowledge or simple disease prevention, to move towards education on body boundaries, consensus and responsibility in behavior.
Children need to be taught from an early age that their bodies belong to them, have the right to refuse uncomfortable contact, and at the same time must respect the refusal of others.
It is time to shift from the mindset of "only teaching vulnerable people how to defend themselves" to a culture of "everyone has a responsibility to create a safe environment".
Equipping yourself with preventive skills is necessary, but prevention does not mean placing a burden of responsibility on the victim's shoulders.
A safe environment cannot only be built by requiring people at risk of becoming victims to be more vigilant. It also requires each person to be educated about boundaries, consensus and responsibility for their behavior.
Therefore, instead of just asking 'What else could the victim have done?', we also need to ask: 'What boundary has been violated, where lies the responsibility, and what should the community do to prevent similar acts from recurring?'" - MSc. Vuong Nguyen Toan Thien emphasized.
