Why does it happen?
Domestic and sexual violence being a thing that is unanimously deemed a wrong act, you would think the victims of the crime would be supported in the seeking justice for the crime committed against them, though that doesn't seem always to be the case. Victim blaming attitudes stem from the idea that the victim precipitates criminal activity. Victim blamers believe that the victim's behaviours, passively or actively, led to the causing of the crime.
Victim blaming within the legal system has critical, far-reaching consequences. When crimes such as rape or domestic violence go unreported, it sets a precedent that those affected will not be able to seek out justice and reinforces possible offenders by giving them the notion that they won't be punished for the crime.
Public attitudes towards victims of crime tend to be affected by multiple factors of the situation. Research by Flood et al. in 2009 saw that characteristics of the victim at the time of the crime, is a significant contributor to the opinion of the 'blamer'. Victims who were intoxicated at the time of the crime or women who go against traditional gender role stereotypes were seen to be faulted for their victimisation almost twice as often than those who weren't. Blaming victims for their misfortune is a form of second victimisation, a further violation of the entitlements and rights of the victim.
Victim blaming behaviours and attitudes have various reasons as to why they're formed. Research by Walster in 1966 suggests that most victim-blaming behaviours are perpetuated by the 'it won't happen to me' ideology. This thought process often seems to place strict moral boundaries on the victim, as the victim blamer believes that the crime wouldn't have happened if it were themselves in that situation. Feeling that something the victim did wrong is why they were victimised.
So how do we stop victim blaming?
Attitudes that perpetuate this behaviour should be targeted during the key cognitive development phases of children. Efforts to educate are a key factor in diminishing unjust social perceptions and should be a key focus in stopping victim-blaming. Future research should also investigate how victim-blaming attitudes are consolidated and which factors perpetuate such behaviour, as understanding the scientific roots of the problem allows fighting the problem to become much more efficient.