ATTITUDE AND ACCEPTABILITY TOWARD VICTIMS OF SEXUAL ASSAULT

Abstract             The current research was designed to analyze the attitudes and beliefs of people regarding sexual assault. The study was conducted through a mixed-method approach in two phases. The first phase consisted of 12 interviews, whereas the second phase focused on the survey method involving 100 participants. Male and female students from public and private institutions were purposively selected for both phases. All participants were from various socio-economic backgrounds between the ages of 20 to 65 years. The interviews were taped, typed, and coded. The data gathered through interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis. Colleen Ward's Scale (Attitudes Toward Rape Victims) was used in phase two to measure the attitude toward rape victims of both sexes. The quantitative data was analyzed using ANOVA. The current study sought to investigate the victims of sexual assault in Pakistani society regarding attitudes, acceptance, and rape myths about them. Keywords: Myths about rape, Sexual assault, Rape victims, The Attitudes toward Rape Victims Scale