When a person suffers from sexual abuse at some stage of their life, one of the decisions that may be most difficult for them is to break the silence and report the case to the judicial authorities. This fear is often fueled by cases of revictimization, which are increasingly common in the world.
According to figures from the Latin American Consortium Against Unsafe Abortion, CLACAI, only between 10 and 20% of cases of sexual abuse in Latin America reach the judicial system, while approximately 30% of victims never talk about their experience with anyone.
This silence, far from helping the victims of this type of abuse, plunges them into a state of depression and suffering, which most of the time can lead to consequences that can be fatal.
The most worrying thing is that, in some cases, when finding the courage to report their cases of sexual abuse, victims may find themselves hindered by a judicial system that, influenced by external comments and research errorscan lead to re-victimization of the victim.
What are the different types of victimization?
Before starting to address the main topic of the article, it is convenient to indicate that when a crime is reported, there are different types of victimization that can be developed during the case investigation process.
The 3 types of victimization that exist are the following:
- Primary victimization: Refers to when a person directly suffers the consequences of a crime committed against them. That is, when his rights are violated.
- Secondary victimization (Revictimization): It is the inadequate response that the system gives to a victim, causing the person to relive the traumatic situation. That is, when her rights are violated again.
- Tertiary victimization: It is one of the least known and occurs when family members, friends or relatives of the victim and/or perpetrator are also affected by the crime and become victims upon receiving social rejection.
Each of these types of victimization can occur in any type of investigation after reporting a crime, but usually They are more common in cases of gender violence and sexual abuse. On this occasion, we will focus on learning more about the problem of revictimization.
What is revictimization?
Revictimization, or secondary victimization, is the term used to identify situations in which a person who has been a victim of some type of crime, such as sexual abuse, is judged and accused of having caused the type of violence that has suffered.
That is to say, when a person summons the courage to file a complaint about a crime of which they have been a victim and, far from obtaining a timely solution for their situation, they receive criticism and even sanctions against them, it is said that the person is re-victimized. the victim.
Unfortunately In cases of sexual abuse this type of victimization is very commonespecially due to the influence of sexist thinking that, in certain cases, can interfere with the investigation of the crime and prevent justice from being done.
Where can revictimization come from?
Although revictimization is a term most used when the judicial system does not respond fairly to a victim, this phenomenon can also occur in other areas that can become much more common since cause serious harm to the victim.
Revictimization can occur in the following areas:
Society
Many times society plays a key role in the re-victimization of a victim, especially when harmful comments with the sole intention of judging and holding the victim accountable for the damages you have suffered.
In cases of sexual abuse, comments such as “it’s her fault for dressing that way”, “she shouldn’t have been so late at a party”, “she asked for it for being such a party animal” are very common, among other phrases that They blame the victim, instead of the perpetrator.
Comments of this type can come from the friends, communities such as school, work, neighborhoods and society in general.
Institutional
It is the type of revictimization that we have been talking about previously, which occurs when the victim goes to some judicial body or institution to report the crime of which they have been a victim and the response they receive is not adequate.
Judge, ask the victim to give a statement about what happened several timesasking offensive or humiliating questions, or treating them without offering adequate support, are behaviors that refer to the idea of turning the person into a victim again.
In general, treatment that involves negligence and blaming the victim, often based on prejudice, is what makes revictimization so serious and that it must be fought in official organizations and in society itself.
Common examples of social and institutional revictimization
As we mentioned previously, revictimization can occur both in the institutional and social spheres, causing serious damage to the victim who has suffered the consequences of an episode of sexual abuse.
Some of the most common examples in which we can talk about revictimization are the following:
Institutional Revictimization
- Multiple testimonies about the same event
- Interviews with poorly trained personnel
- Improper handling of tests and processes
- Weak laws (loopholes) and little offer of services
- Family separation
Social Revictimization
- Blaming the victim
- Lack of tolerance and indolence in the face of the consequences of the crime suffered
- Expose the victim to public scrutiny
Each of the activities, comments or actions that seek to cause harm to the victim of a crime such as sexual abuse, leads to revictimization, which in turn can cause a serious damage to the emotional stability of the victim.
A real example of revictimization and injustice
A few days ago, specifically on February 21, 2022, the case of the political scientist and economist became known through the media. Paola Schietekata young Mexican who recently traveled to Qatar with the aim of providing her professional services as a behavioral social scientist, in conjunction with the committee that organizes the Soccer World Cup to be held this year in that country.
However, Paola’s news was not relevant because of her professional achievement, but because she was the victim of a terrible fact that affected him physically and emotionallyand which also brought shocking consequences when seeking a judicial solution to his situation.
While Paola was at her residence, an acquaintance of hers, who is also of Latin origin, broke into her house to try to sexually abuse her. In his testimony, Schietekat says that as best he could he defended himself from the attacker’s aggression, which is why he suffered bruises and bumps all over his body.
After having suffered this attack, Paola decided to go to the Police together with Luis Ancona, consul of Mexico in Qatar, with the aim of filing a formal complaint for the situation in which she was a victim of physical and sexual violence.
Both were summoned to testify against the aggressor, however, The case took a totally unexpected turn. In the process she tried to defend herself but, as she did not speak the Arabic language, this was in vain since the aggressor argued that she was her romantic partner.
The judicial authorities of Qatar began an investigation process, which resulted in blaming Paola Schietekat for committing the crime of having sexual relations outside of marriage, for which She was sentenced to receive 100 lashes and 7 years in prison..
Despite the injustice, the sentence was not finalized since Paola, thanks to the help of Human Rights Watch, managed to flee Qatar and returned to his country. The aggressor was acquitted of all charges, while Paola’s sentence remains in force and the final decision will be made on March 6.
How to avoid revictimization?
So that cases like that of Paola Schietekat are not repeated worldwide, and that more and more women can access a fair process when reporting cases of sexual assault and abuse, it is necessary to take certain steps. actions that prevent revictimization from being the result of the complaint of a crime.
Some of the actions necessary to avoid revictimization may be the following:
At the institutional level:
- Training for personnel from the institutions in charge: hotlines, protection, education, justice, and public force.
- Protocols in the route of attention to cases of abuse that are reported.
- Allocation of sufficient resources (human and monetary) to offer services that provide help to the victim.
In the social sphere:
- Prevention through correct sexual education.
- Prevention of the use of phrases that damage reputation and hold the victim responsible for the crime they have suffered.
- Campaigns to change social norms that contribute to the prevention of injustices.
- Promotion and dissemination of information on services and routes available for the care of victims.
Each of these actions can contribute to improving judicial responses in cases of sexual abuse complaints, so that victims can have the security of receive fair and adequate treatmentin which the fact is also correctly investigated, until fair and legally justified results are reached.
How does Yo Say No Más help prevent revictimization?
Through the constant work of Yo Digo No Más in the fight against sexual abuse in all its forms, this movement promotes all types of actions that allow and ensure the victims’ right to a fair trial that allows them to do justice for the damage they have suffered, without leading to re-victimization.
At Yo Digo No Más we encourage victims of sexual abuse not to remain silent, to break the silence and to raise their voices so that they can face the emotional wounds that this type of traumayes can causeof course with correct and professional support.
In addition, we are a platform focused on making known the stories of people who have been victims of sexual abuse, but who have also managed to recover from these dark moments in their lives, in order to avoid remaining in “victim mode” and become an inspiration for many other victims worldwide.
Remember that if you have a story of sexual abuse that you want to share, do not hesitate to raise your voice and share it with I say no more. and let’s work together to ensure that justice reaches every victim of sexual abuse in the world.