It's 2018, and at this point, the term "victim blaming" is well-known in sexual assault discourse. Many folks are now aware that it's harmful to blame an assault on the victim, rather than the perpetrator. But plenty of people still don't get it, as one high school's problematic assignment makes clear.
Charity Willard Eigenberger posted a photo of an assignment that her daughter Haven's high school teachers passed out to students. The students had just watched a video in class about sexual assault. The assignment asked a few questions in response to the video.
The first question read, "What could have Melissa done differently to have avoided her sexual assault (provide at least 4 examples)?"
Yikes. This question implies that Melissa's sexual assault was her own fault, which is not only wrong but also incredibly dangerous. And statistically speaking, at least a couple survivors of assault were forced to answer this victim-blaming question in class that day.
But thanks to Charity's post, Haven's high school received a ton of feedback about why it should never assign this question again.
Charity Willard Eigenberger was shocked and disappointed when her daughter, Haven, brought home an assignment about sexual assault from school.
"Haven, my sophomore, was shown a video on sexual assault. This is the first question on the assignment," Charity wrote alongside a photo of the question on Facebook.
The question reads: "What could have Melissa done differently to avoid her sexual assault (provide at least 4 examples)?"
Charity didn't need to explain much more. People immediately realized why the question is so problematic: It's a classic example of victim blaming. The question points the blame for the assault on Melissa, the victim, instead of on her perpetrator.
In reality, rape is a rampant society-wide problem that has nothing to do with victims not doing the "right" thing. In a post-#MeToo world, it's more clear than ever that women are assaulted in all types of situations — usually by people that they know.
Sexual assault is never, ever, EVER the fault of the victim.
Also important, the focus on Melissa takes the blame away from where it truly belongs: on the person who committed the assault. What could the assailant have done differently?! Was that on the assignment anywhere?
According to RAINN (the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network), one out of six American women has been the victim of an attempted or completed rape in her lifetime, and young women are "especially at risk."
We also know that rape and sexual assault are severely underreported. Victim blaming is a huge part of the reason why — it causes sexual assault survivors to feel intense shame and helplessness.
This simple question could cause real harm to the young girls who were forced to answer this question, some of whom must have been survivors.
"I'm disappointed that the assignment was given and I want answers-in short, I'm PISSED," Charity wrote in a follow-up post.
Many commenters on Facebook felt the same.
Charity's post was shared a whopping 13,000 times, and it sparked a lot of debate. Several commenters actually did attempt to answer the question, but in a way that recognizes the reality of rape culture.
Most of all, people kept reiterating that there is nothing that Melissa could or should have done to prevent her assault.
The responsibility for her assault is 100% on her perpetrator, not on her.
Thankfully, many of the commenters took things beyond Charity's Facebook post. They actually contacted Haven's high school to communicate why the assignment is so harmful, and some even provided resources for how to teach students about sexual assault in a healthier way.
The high school responded to the controversy perfectly.
"The principal called me right away the morning after I posted this and apologized, without making any excuses, for this horribly worded question and lesson," Charity wrote in an update.
She continued: "The lesson has been pulled and he thanked me for the social media post because he has gotten hundreds of emails from all over and in many of them, people have offered resources and curricula that he and his health education department would’ve not otherwise been exposed to. They plan on going through those resources and deciding what can best be utilized in their program."
Hopefully, this high school will never again ask students to accept the idea that sexual assault is a victim's responsibility.
