known to use victim blaming as their primary psychological disconnect from their crime(s) and in some cases it has led to their conviction. female rape victims receive more blame when they exhibit behavior which breaks the gender roles of society. society uses this behavior as a justification for the rape. similarly, blame placed on female rape victims often depends on the victim's attractiveness and respectability. while such behavior has no justified correlation to an attack, it can be used in victim blaming. a "rape supportive" society refers to when perpetrators are perceived as justified for raping. male victims are more often blamed by society for their rape due to weakness or emasculation. the lack of support and community for male rape victims is furthered by the lack of attention given to sexual assaults of males by society. it has been proposed that one cause of victim blaming is the just world hypothesis. people who believe that the world is intrinsically fair may find it difficult or impossible to accept a situation in which a person is badly hurt for no reason. this leads to a sense that victims must have done something to deserve their fate. another theory entails the psychological need to protect one's own sense of invulnerability, which can inspire people to believe that rape only happens to those who provoke the assault. believers use this as a way to feel safer: if one avoids the behaviours of the past victims, one will be less vulnerable. a global survey of attitudes toward sexual violence by the global forum for health research shows that victim-blaming concepts are at least partially accepted in many countries. victim blame can also be a result of popular media's use of sexual objectification. sexual objectification is reducing an individual's existence to that of a sexual object. this involves dehumanization. a study conducted in britain found that women who are objectified based on the clothes that they wear and what the media says about them, the more likely they would be to experience victim-blame after a sexual assault. another study that investigated a large group of college students to see medias contribution to sexual objectification and its effects on victim-blaming, found that the more a person is exposed to media content that sexualizes women's bodies the more likely they are to participate in rape blame. it has also been proposed by roxane agnew-davies, a clinical psychologist and an expert on the effects of sexual violence, that victim-blaming correlates with fear. "it is not surprising when so many rape victims blame themselves. female jurors can look at the woman in the witness stand and decide she has done something 'wrong' such as flirting or having a drink with the defendant. she can therefore reassure herself that rape won't happen to her as long as she does nothing similar." according to a multitude of studies, heterosexual men are the most likely to participate in victim-blaming. men tend to blame other men for their own sexual assaults. they also tend to blame individuals who do not adhere to gender norms, such as crossdressers, transgender men, and gay men. many of the countries in which victim blaming is more common are those in which there is a significant social divide between the freedoms and status afforded to men and women. reporting a rape some individuals have found that reporting their assault assisted them in their recovery process. contacting their local police department, visiting a medical center, and/or calling the national sexual assault hotline are several options that survivors may consider while seeking justice. even so, only a small percentage of survivors decide to report their rape. rape victims are less likely to report their sexual assault than simple assault victims. between 2006 and 2010, it is estimated that 211,200 rapes or sexual assaults were unreported to police each year. factors that may influence a rape reporting decision include gender, age, minority status, perceived outcomes, and social expectations. furthermore, a rape in which the survivor knows the perpetrator is less likely to be reported than one committed by a stranger. the absence of physical injuries and involvement of drugs and/or alcohol also contributes to the decrease in reports. specifically, female rape victims are more likely to report their cases when they feel more victimized due to serious bodily injuries. female rape victims are less likely to report cases in which the perpetrator is a relative or acquaintance. male rape victims may be hesitant to report rapes due to the stigma surrounding male rape, which can cause humiliation or fear of emasculation. survivors who do not decide to report their rape to law enforcement are still eligible to receive a sexual assault forensic exam, also known as a rape kit. they are also still encouraged to seek support from their loved ones and/or a professional psychologist. recovering from a rape the process of recovering from a rape differentiates among survivors for their own individual reasons. the nature of the attack, how survivors choose to cope with their trauma, and social influences are a few of the many variables that impact the healing process. even so, recovery generally consists of three main themes: reaching out, reframing the rape, and redefining the self. professional treatment may be needed to help assist with properly accomplishing these three factors. cognitive processing therapy has been found to result in a decrease or remission of post trauma symptoms in survivors and to help them regain a sense of control. due to its complexity, advancing through the healing process requires patience and persistence. in addition, meditation, yoga, exercise, rhythmic movement, and socialization may also provide elements of relief for survivors. furthermore, support groups provide individuals with an opportunity to connect with other survivors and serve as a constant reminder that they are not alone.