The Victim Assistant 🐼

 In lieu of the R.Kelly trial, I have felt compelled to talk about victim blaming attitudes and belief systems as a debilitating cultural norm. I will specifically address violence against women in this post. Victim blaming occurs when a victim of crime is considered at fault or partially at fault for the harmful act against them. As a professional crime victim advocate, I have always felt it necessary to educate people about victimization and people's responses to crime to help mitigate the prejudice against victims and the perception from society that victims are some how responsible for the actions of  the violent offender. This happens a lot in sexual assault and domestic violence cases. We have witnessed, predominately in the R.Kelly trial, past and present, the perpetuation of rape culture and the normalized attitudes about gender and sexuality. Victim blaming, slut-shaming, minimizing rape and the denial of accountability of the offenders is the norm. Society bathes in outda