Blaming the victim for the crime is a very real issue. I have been guilty of casting doubt upon victims myself and that has been a shameful thing on my part. That indicates that the victimizer had no control over his/her actions. This attitude pretty much absolves the victimizer and pummels the victim into terrified silence.
I don't do that anymore. The victim is just that: a victim who deserves compassion and warmth. The victimizer is a sinner who deserves to be brought to justice. (This part is not within my power because I am not law. The former part is absolutely within my power because I myself am a recipient of grace.)
I have seen for myself how often the victimizer receives the grace and continues to perform his nefarious deeds. I have seen victims fall into obscure oblivion or become angry and destructive themselves.
I ran across an excellent treatise on the matter of not further driving these wounded into darker holes and of not allowing the wounders to continue digging the holes in the first place.
You can download the PDF here. It's about 42 pages but it's easy to read. I know my blog doesn't get huge traffic and traffic has never really been my goal. But, if you've just wandered by, go ahead and read it.
Once we become aware of the victimizer's methods, we can better look out for our weak and our wounded.
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