By  Petrina Hargrave, PhD., Oliver Donaldson, Moana Hamana, Joanna Miller, and Anja Uhlmann 

Victim blaming, where crime victims are held responsible for their victimisation, deflects blame from perpetrators. This may discourage victims from seeking help or reporting crime, a significant issue in New Zealand where only 28% of crime is reported. It may also impede their recovery. Preventing victim blaming requires understanding victims’ experiences, especially among Māori, Rainbow, and disabled communities, who face higher crime rates. This research aims to raise awareness of victim blaming and its impact on help-seeking, crime reporting and recovery. Victim Support interviewed 31 New Zealand crime victims who had experienced victim blaming, uncovering five key themes.

New Zealand:  Manaaki Tāngata Victim Support , 2024. 40p.

By Kimberly A. Lonsway and Louise F. Fitzgerald

Theories of sexual aggression and victimization have increasingly em- phasized the role of rape myths in the perpetuation of sexual assault. Rape myths are attitudes and generally false beliefs about rape that are widely and persistently held, and that serve to deny and justify male sexual aggression against women. Acceptance of such myths has been assessed with a number of measures, and investigators have examined its relationship with numerous variables and interventions. Although there has been extensive research in this area, definitions, terminology, and measures of rape myth acceptance (RMA) continue to lack adequate theoretical and psychometric precision. Despite such criticisms, we em- phasize that the significance of this type of research cannot be overstated because it has immense potential for the understanding of sexual assault. The present article offers a theory-based definition of rape myths, re- views and critiques the literature on rape myth acceptance, and suggests directions for future research. In particular we argue that such work must include the development and application of improved measures, with more concern for the theoretical and methodological issues unique to this field.

Cambridge University Press 0361-6843194, 32p.