4Q4: Autism and sexual violence: Understanding victim-blaming towards Autistic victim-survivors
In this edition of 4Q4 (Four Questions For), we speak with Zoe Collier, a PhD student at Durham University researching victim-blaming towards Autistic people following sexual violence. Her research explores how Autism stigma influences and shapes Autistic victim-survivors’ experiences of victim-blaming, helping to further our understanding of the experiences of Autistic victim-survivors when seeking criminal justice.
01 Why is this project important?
Sexual violence is any unwanted sexual act or behaviour that happens without a person giving their full consent. This includes rape, sexual assault, sexual harassment, or sexual coercion, where someone pressures, manipulates, or otherwise influences you into sexual activity that you do not freely want. Sexual violence continues to be an ongoing major human rights issue that affects 1 in 5 women and girls and 1 in 7 boys and men globally (World Health Organisation, 2026). There are currently no official statistics on sexual violence against gender minorities, despite research showing high rates of sexual violence within these communities. Studies show that Autistic people experience 2-3 times higher rates of sexual violence than non-autistic people, with 70% of Autistic people reporting at least one form of sexual violence since childhood (Cazalis et al., 2022; Gibbs et al., 2023). It is also more common for Autistic people to experience sexual violence repeatedly throughout their lives rather than just once. This figure is most likely an underestimate as Neurodivergence is often not recorded in sexual offence cases, and a number of Autistic people go undiagnosed, meaning that many Autistic victim-survivors are incorrectly labelled as non-autistic.
Despite growing awareness and education about sexual violence, victim-survivors continue to face stigma and marginalisation. Victim-blaming is just one way this stigma affects people; victim-survivors are unfairly blamed by questioning their actions, decisions or credibility rather than holding perpetrators responsible. Victim-blaming happens more often than people might think. It is not always obvious and is built into the attitudes and practices we encounter every day, including in the criminal justice system. Meaning that people may hold beliefs and attitudes around sexual violence that are rooted in victim-blaming rhetoric but do not recognise it as such (i.e., “women must do everything possible to protect themselves" and "it's never the victim’s fault, but there are always consequences to our actions”).
No two people will experience victim-blaming in the same way. Other aspects of their identity and the existing inequalities they face can overlap and increase the likelihood of victim-blaming and shape the kinds of things people say to and about them. Research shows that victim-survivors will experience victim-blaming differently depending on their gender, race, socioeconomic background and disability. For example, victim-survivors who are also sex workers are less likely to be believed, as they are seen as "bringing it upon themselves" because of their profession and, hence, violence should be "expected".
Societal stigma and attitudes about Autism – and, by extension, Autistic people – will also influence how victim-blaming is experienced by Autistic victim-survivors. Although there is currently little research into sexual violence among Autistic people, victim-blaming attitudes towards Autistic victim-survivors can already be seen in existing literature. Autistic people are broadly labelled as being "childlike" and “inherently vulnerable” to victimisation. Little nuance is given about how this vulnerability works or even develops in the first place. From this standpoint, sexual violence is treated as an unavoidable part of being Autistic, with the focus placed on restricting and controlling Autistic people’s access to sexuality and intimate relationships as much as possible. Autistic people are also more generally disliked and negatively judged by others. This could lead to less empathy when they experience abuse and encourage people to find ways to blame them or justify what happened.
To date, there is no research that explores victim-blaming specific to Autism. This study being the first of its kind to understand how Autism stigma influences and shapes Autistic victim-survivors' experiences of victim-blaming after sexual violence.
We are currently recruiting participants. If you would like to find out more about taking part, you can find further information about the study and how to get in touch at the end of this article.
02 Why does involvement matter and how has it shaped your work?
As an Autistic person, meaningful involvement and collaboration are central to how I conduct myself as a researcher. This topic is very dear to my heart, as it stems from my own experiences of victim-blaming after being sexually assaulted. When Autistic victim-survivors are not included in research about their own lived experiences, their essential insights are overlooked and neglected, leading to research that does not benefit them or reflect their needs and interests. This research prioritises the meaningful representation of Autistic victim-survivors’ perspectives and aims to showcase the complexities and nuances of their stories, while also honouring their autonomy and authority over their own lived experiences.
““When Autistic victim-survivors are not included in research about their own lived experiences, their essential insights are overlooked and neglected, leading to research that does not benefit them or reflect their needs and interests.””
03 How might your findings be useful and help shape services?
There are currently no specialist services that represent disabled or Neurodivergent victim-survivors. Sexual offence cases involving Autistic victim-survivors are more likely to be dropped before reaching trial, as they are deemed to be less believable or ‘credible’. This was often justified by difficulties in recalling traumatic memories and how they expressed emotions during interviews, despite police knowing that they are Autistic. This included not showing the “correct” amount of emotion or not expressing emotion in the “expected” way. These assumptions around credibility impede cases from the outset as police would be less inclined to conduct a full, thorough investigation as they knew that their case would ultimately not 'stand up in court'. The findings from this study will help further our understanding of victim-blaming that Autistic victim-survivors experience when seeking criminal justice.
04 Where can we find these resources?
I would recommend Helen William’s and Alison Jobe’s work on credibility as a barrier to justice for Autistic/learning disabilities victim-survivors who report sexual violence.
I would also recommend Katharine Quarmby’s book, Scapegoat: Why We Are Failing Disabled People, particularly Chapter 13, “Multi-Agency Chaos: Michael Gilbert and the Failure of Safeguarding.”
Finally, I would recommend the research by my supervisors, Amy Pearson and Monique Botha, on Autistic people’s experiences of support and recovery after abuse and intimate partner violence.
References
World Health Organization. (2026, June 18). Violence against women. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/violence-against-women
Gibbs, V., Hudson, J., & Pellicano, E. (2023). The Extent and Nature of Autistic People's Violence Experiences During Adulthood: A Cross-sectional Study of Victimisation. Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 53(9), 3509–3524. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-022-05647-3
Cazalis, F., Reyes, E., Leduc, S., & Gourion, D. (2022). Evidence That Nine Autistic Women Out of Ten Have Been Victims of Sexual Violence. Frontiers in behavioral neuroscience, 16, 852203. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnbeh.2022.852203 Dev. Disord. 44, 2185–2196. doi: 10.1007/s10803-014-2093-y
Research participants needed
Exploring and measuring victim-blaming toward Autistic survivors of sexual violence
We are looking for research participants who:
Identify as Autistic (self-diagnosis included)
Are over the age of 18
Have past lived experiences of sexual violence and victim-blaming
People of all gender identities and sexual orientations are welcome to take part
Participation involves:
Completing a 30-40 minute interview about your perspectives and lived experiences of victim-blaming as an Autistic survivor
Option to take part in a creative-based interview
Complete a 10 to 15 minute interview about your opinion on current victim-blaming measures
Both online and in-person options available
For more information and to register your interest, click on the button below or email Zoe at zoe.collier@durham.ac.uk
