Why didn’t she do anything? Explaining non-reactivity in women raped by religious leaders

Abstract

While sexual violence in religious contexts has been reported more frequently by the victims, there are still several issues – myths and prejudices – which may interfere with the undertaking of legal measures and the way victims are helped, especially in cases where they appear to have offered no resistance to their aggressors or report the rape in delay. This article intends to gather and discuss data that demonstrate the legitimacy of the difficulties of resisting the crime, whether immediate or delayed, by people abused by their spiritual leaders. In this sense, the paper brings, among others, contextual and neurobiological aspects. Such aspects reflect on the vulnerability of religious women and on the improbability of consenting to the sexual act in these scenarios. The paper advocates that such elements deserve to be carefully considered by all professionals working in this area.