Victim Blaming

This paper examines the persistence of victim-blaming and the protection of rape perpetrators in South Asian societies, focusing on how cultural norms, family honor, religion, and institutional practices shape responses to sexual violence. Drawing on crime statistics, survey data, media analysis, and secondary literature from countries including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka, the study analyzes the mechanisms that shift blame from perpetrators to victims. The findings indicate that victim-blaming significantly contributes to underreporting, weak legal outcomes, and long-term psychological harm to survivors. The paper argues that legal reforms alone are insufficient without broader cultural transformation aimed at dismantling patriarchal attitudes and survivor stigmatization.