One in five victims in Netherlands experience victim blaming, study finds

One in five victims in the Netherlands reports experiencing victim blaming, according to a study released by Slachtofferhulp Nederland on Sunday, the European Day of the Victim. Victim blaming occurs when the responsibility for a crime or harmful event is placed on the victim rather than the perpetrator.

Nearly two-thirds of Dutch people recognize the term victim blaming and believe they respond to victims with sympathy. Yet one in five victims reports that they were at least partially blamed for what happened to them.

Of those, 70 percent said the blame came mainly from family or friends. Older adults and men were more likely to engage in victim blaming, according to the study. Edith, a survivor of abuse, described her experience to Hart van Nederland: “You just had bad sex,” she recalled being told.

To raise awareness, the organization set up an action at Utrecht Centraal station, where four telephones rang continuously for two hours. People who answered were connected to personal testimonies from individuals who had experienced victim blaming.

Slachtofferhulp Nederland noted that victims are often better able to recognize victim blaming in others once they have experienced it themselves.