Episode 3: The Perfect Victim

Which kind of people are more likely to be believed?

Jane Aster Roe

Jun 04, 2026

In episode 3 we are looking at what makes an ideal victim in the eyes of the law, and society, and who is more likely to be believed.

The Defendants is a podcast exploring how sexual assault cases move through the justice system… and why it never seems to work in favour of victims. We want to know what has to change within the system for it to actually work, and we are interrogating what justice means in the aftermath of trauma. This is a podcast where we figure out exactly how this system fails, why, and what to do about it.

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SHOW NOTES

Key Topics:

0:11 - The week before Jane’s case went to trial
1:57 - The damsel in distress archetype
3:17 - Nils Christie’s ideal victim theory
4:51 - Phil’s story: when male survivors are dismissed
8:00 - Ann’s case: when victims don’t fit the mold
9:34 - Race and credibility
11:03 - Vanessa’s story: when assumptions are made
12:25 - Lem’s experience: becoming your own advocate
13:06 - Mental illness and credibility
18:40 - Why the “perfect victim” stereotype is a trap

Resources:

SA Survivor Resource Document - This document contains Canadian, U.S, and Global sources to find guidance, information, and aid for survivors of sexual assault. Detailed descriptions of each resource within the document.

The following links are core references and sources for this episode.

Quote sources:

“the Rape Abuse and Incest National Network estimates that 8 out of 10 assaults are committed by someone known to the victim.” RAINN

“Among sexual assaults where an accused was charged by the police, 87% of victims/survivors knew their assailant.”

Government of Canada Infographic / Police-reported sexual assaults in Canada, 2009 to 2914: A statistical profile

“Black woman are disproportionally at risk of sexual violence. According to the National Black Woman’s justice institute, Close to 1 in 5 Black women are survivors of rape, and 41% of Black women experience sexual coercion and other forms of unwanted sexual contact.”

“Additionally the justice system, which is deeply racist in its founding, is hostile to black folks, and makes it extremely hard for black women to report”

“In fact, during the 1800s some rape laws were race-specific.”

“Lynching, castration, and incarceration were possible penalties for a Black man who was accused or convicted of raping a White woman. In contrast, there were no legal sanctions for White men who raped Black women. Also, the legal system did not punish intraracial rape.” - From source

“There’s also the stereotype of the strong Black woman, which makes it hard for people to ever see them as victims.”

“But despite being at higher risk, they are less likely to be believed. Black women are seen as promiscuous, and have been hypersexualized for centuries, which leads to people believing they invited sexual violence.”

“African American sexual assault survivors face multiple barriers to disclosure. These challenges include: rape myth acceptance that fosters self-blame; the internalization or fear of reinforcing the image of Black women as sexually promiscuous Jezebels; and the cultural mandate that survivors should be “Strong Black Women” who are able to handle trauma without assistance.”

Sexual Violence in the Lives of African American Women by Carolyn M. West and Kalimah Johnson

Additional References:

Male Victims of Sexual Assault: A Review of the Literature by John C. Thomas, Jonathan Kopel

The episode mentions briefly the disparity between reports and perception concerning male presenting and female presenting victims. This review is an extensive source for information on the subject.

A Second Gaze at Little Red Riding Hood’s Trials and Tribulations by Jack Zipes

An essay examining multiple publications of the classic folk tale and its steeped history in assault allegory and male centered morals

The Sexual Abuse to Prison Pipeline by Malika Saada Saar, Rebecca Epstein, Lindsay Rosenthal, Yasmin Vafa

This report goes into how girls of colour are much more likely to be victims of sexual abuse, and are, in many cases, arrested and put in prison, instead of being treated as the victims they are

Historical Roots of Sexualization of Black Women and Girls by The Blackburn Center

The Missing and Murdered Indigenous Woman’s Resource Guide from the Canadian Museum of Human Rights

Violence is Not the Answer to Violence: Lawyer Makes Case for Abolition Feminism in New Book by Rebekah Barber

Hood Feminism: Notes from a Woman that the Movement Forgot by Mikki Kendall

Essential reading for pulling back and understanding core, intersectional feminist theory and demands, which is very helpful when you’re attacking a systemic problem like sexual violence

The Cultural Betrayal of Black Women and Girls: A Black Feminist Approach to Healing From Sexual Abuse by Jennifer M Gómez

Framework for understanding the impact of violence against marginalized individuals.

Erased: What American Patriarchy Has Hidden From Us by Anna Malika Tubbs

Anna Malika Tubbs walks through how patriarchy works in tandem with other systems of power and oppression to bring us to the world we live in today, and clearly lays out how these systems harm all of us.

Imperfect Victims: Criminalized Survivors and the Promise of Abolition Feminism by Leigh Goodmark