| Abstract [eng] |
Crimes against a person’s freedom of sexual self-determination are a particularly sensitive issue. These crimes are considered some of the most serious crimes and are also those that are perhaps accompanied by the most stereotypical perceptions. Although the negative association of stereotypes with the evaluation of crimes of a sexual nature has long been analysed in research literature worldwide, the significance of these ideas in the Lithuanian context is still largely unexplored. Three closely related concepts are used in this paper - social imagination, ideal victim and real rape. Based on these ideas, the aim is to analyse the narrative of sexual offences as conveyed by mass media, giving it a context by analysing verdicts in criminal cases. In this way, the stereotypes prevalent in the mass media that shape public perception of crimes against a person's freedom of sexual self-determination are assessed. Stereotypes that are identified throughout this research are used in the creation of vignettes for semi-structured, qualitative interviews. The main aim of which is to analyse the relationship between stereotypes and the attribution of blame in cases of crimes against a person’s sexual self-determination. The findings show that the narrative of sexual crimes constructed by the mass media echoes the concepts discussed in the theoretical section. Furthermore, the perception influenced by stereotypes not only perpetuate these biases but also significantly impact the assignment of responsibility for crimes against a person's sexual self-determination. |
