THE CULTURE OF SILENCE: WHY SOCIETY FAILS TO SPEAKAGAINST ABUSE

Abstract

Domestic abuse is a severe issue that impacts on the individual, families, and communities. Many victims
remain silent due to multiple reasons, such as fear, stigma, blame, pressure from family, reputation,
economic dependency, and lack of trust in reporting systems despite the growing awareness. The culture
of silence can be an enabling factor for abusive behaviour to persist and can stop people from getting the
right kind of support. To understand the culture of silence around abuse and explore social pressure, victim
blame, and fear of escalation and reporting abuse. A descriptive cross-sectional quantitative study design
was used. A mock adult questionnaire of 200 participants was taken for the illustrative example. Data were
assumed to be gathered from a structured self-administered questionnaire on the following subscales:
Demographic characteristics, Awareness of abuse, Reasons for not talking about it, Victim blaming, Family
pressure, reporting behavior, and Trust in the institution. It was assumed that data were analyzed using
SPSS, which was computed using frequencies, percentages, means, and standard deviations, followed by
chi-square analysis. In the illustrative data set, 72% indicated that the fear of social judgement was an
important reason that victims do not speak out; 68% identified that the family reputation was a significant
barrier. About 64% thought that the victim often feels blamed after disclosure, and 61% said that the fear
of retaliation can deter disclosure. Just over 57% said that victims could be avoiding formal institutions,
as they might have a lack of trust in the reporting process. There was a positive correlation between
supportive attitudes toward the social world and being willing to report abuse. The illustrative findings
indicate that fear, stigma, pressure from family, victim blaming, and institutional mistrust may play a
significant role in perpetuating the culture of silence. Cultural factors that promote disclosure and
responsible response to abuse include encouraging and building a network of supports, ensuring that no
victim is subjected to retribution, and minimizing victim shaming