Societal Attitudes Towards Rape Victims Among Common People of a Metropolitan City: An Exploratory Study

Abstract

Background: Rape is a heinous but commonly committed crime where the dignity of the victim is compromised. The mass perception determines the social acceptance of the rape-survivor. Objective: To trace the predominant attitudes towards rape victims among common people in a metropolitan city. Material and Method: This is an exploratory study based in Kolkata. Respondents selected, range between 15 and 65 years, irrespective of gender. The socio-demographic profiles of the participants have been collected through a semi-structured questionnaire. Attitude Towards Rape Victim Scale was applied to assess the attitude towards rape victim among common people. Descriptive statistics indicating the distribution of categorical variables and inferential statistics demonstrated the continuous variables like responses of ATRVS. The statistical significant was set at P < .05. Result: The 1,214 people studied responded with an overall positive attitude towards rape-survivors. Women expressed slightly greater (89.7%) positive attitude towards rape victims than men (83.1%). Education and occupation significantly influenced the attitude of the mass towards the rape victim. Conclusion: Positive and sympathetic attitudes of the common people provide support for the psychological healing of rape-survivors.