Tampa Demonstration Raises Awareness of Victim-Blaming Mentality

On September 17, Tampa men and women united to march through Joe Chillura Courthouse Square Park denouncing victim blaming in sexual assault cases. Tampabay.com reported many participants were victims of sexual assault. Some were dressed provocatively and carried signs or wore t-shirts emblazoned with messages like, “The way I dress is not a yes.”

The point of the demonstration, controversially called a “SlutWalk,” was to focus the blame for sexual assault on those responsible, rather than on the victims. Similar events took place across the world and originated in Canada after an officer said, “women should avoid dressing like sluts in order not to be victimized.”

ot all participants were past victims of sexual assault. Some like Derek Johnson simply came to show support for victims and show that it is never acceptable to blame them for something out of their control.

Unfortunately, this blame the victim mentality is prevalent in personal injury lawsuits involving sexual assault. For example, when a sexual assault occurs on a property with a history of prior sexual assaults, there are times when the property owners, apartment complexes, club managers, and or restaurants involved had a duty to try and prevent future occurrences. This type of case is often referred to as a negligent security case. In these cases, personal injury attorneys are often able to prove that the sexual assault or rape could have been prevented had the responsible party hired security personnel. However, before going forward with the case, victims must understand that the defense will often blame them for what happened. A good negligent security attorney can overcome the blame game and help hold these people responsible for the part they play in an assault just as the criminal courts hold the perpetrator responsible.