Sexual Victimization in the light of Victim Precipitation Theory: With a Case Study on Sexual Offences Cases

The study of effective factors in the occurrence of crime has always been the focus point in criminological enterprise. In one of these attitudes, the role of the victim and his or her specific characteristics were the focus of the perpetrator, and accordingly, the study of the victim's role in the crime led to the development of the theory of precipitation, according to which the victim could play a role with his/her acting or behaving. Meanwhile, in most of sexual crimes, the offender's motive and intention is to achieve instant gratification. Therefore, the specific characteristics of the victim are of particular importance in motivating such perpetrators. In this regard, according to the theory of victim precipitation, in sexual crimes, the question arises as to how much the victim can play a role in the occurrence of the crime by his behavior and action and consequently, precipitate the process of crime commission. With this theory in mind, and in the case of sexual offenses related to crimes and sexual victimization, the components of this precipitation can be examined based on four variables: provocation, facilitation, encouragement, and consent to the commission of a crime. The present paper concludes that in sexual offenses, the victim can play an active precipitating role in the occurrence of the crime, and this role may in some cases be so hasty that it identifies the victim as co-perpetrator.