Psychology of Victim Blaming and Self Blame of Women Subjected to Sexual Violence

Jessica Eaton delivers this unique workshop based on three years of psychological research and ten years of practice, to explore the ways in which women and girls are blamed for sexual violence - and the ways they blame themselves.

This session will explore the many factors and institutions in society that encourage and reinforce victim blaming of women from the mass media to the mental health system. 

Next, the session will explore prevalence of victim blaming of women and the findings from her new study which surveyed the general population about how much they would blame women for sexual violence committed against them.

The day finishes with a discussion about the way women and professionals understand and talk about victim blaming and self-blame, and whether we understand victim blaming as much as we think we do. This session uses real extracts from interviews with women and professionals working in sexual violence to allow delegates to critically consider how we talk about the way women are blamed and blame themselves for sexual violence.

Jessica Eaton (FRSA) is the Director of VictimFocus, a specialist researcher, published author and international speaker on the topics of sexual violence, exploitation, abuse, feminism and victim blaming of women and girls. Jessica Eaton was awarded a fellowship by the Royal Society of Arts to recognise her contribution to the psychology of victim blaming of women, her work in mental health and her contribution to feminism.

VictimFocus is an international research and consultancy organisation focussing on the rights and wellbeing of victims of trauma, violence and abuse. Her VictimFocus blog has 1.3 million readers per year and covers topics of feminism, women’s rights, victim blaming, child sexual exploitation and violence against women and girls. She conducts research on topics affecting women and girls, and has recently finished a PhD in Psychology, specialising in the psychology of victim blaming and self-blame of women subjected to sexual violence.

More recently, she set up VictimFocus Publications as an independent publisher to ensure free and accessible research, information and resources to improve the fields of abuse, violence and trauma. In the first year, the research and reports were downloaded over 20,000 times; providing free evidenced-based information to everyone interested in the topics. In June 2019, she will open VictimFocus Academy, which is a global E-learning platform dedicated to free and affordable education, open to all, on the topics of psychology, trauma, violence and abuse.