Violence

Violence is when someone harms another person on purpose. This includes acts like:

  • Hitting and threatening
  • sexually assaulting someone.
  • robbing someone and intimidation.

Victim

The term "victim" comes from the Latin word victima, originally used in a spiritual context to describe animals sacrificed in religious rituals. In Western languages, the word was first used to refer to Jesus Christ, symbolizing suffering and sacrifice. Over time, the word came to represent those who suffer, in legal contexts, where victims are seen as innocent and deserving of compassion. The World Society of Victimology defines victims as individuals who suffer harm (physical, emotional, or economic) due to acts that violate criminal laws, including abuses of power.

A victim labelled person have:

  • Positive effects: Sympathy, support from society and official systems.
  • Negative effects: Stigma, being seen as weak, passive, or helpless.

In Western culture, the "ideal victim" is often seen as someone who suffers in silence. Because of social stereotypes, some victims avoid calling themselves victims and may not ask for help or report crimes.

Victimology

Victimology is a branch of criminology that studies victims of crime and their relationship with offenders. Originally, it looked at what made some people more likely to become victims, but this was criticized because it sometimes seemed to blame the victim (e.g., saying a rape victim was dressed provocatively). Today, victimology focuses more on the offender’s choices—how and why offenders pick certain people as targets.  To avoid blaming the victim, researchers often use the word “target” instead of “victim.”