A new investigative report from Al Jazeera America found that counselors at Protestant school Bob Jones University have been telling rape victims to look within themselves to find the "root sin" that caused their rape. In other words, they are blaming victims for being raped.
A 19-year-old woman from a conservative Mennonite family had never even held hands with a boy before she was repeatedly raped by a supervisor at her summer job. When she sought help from dean of students Jim Berg, he asked if she'd been smoking pot or drinking, and then asked her to find the sin in her life that led to her rape.
Counselors are twisting the Bible around and making a traumatizing situation even worse. This is far from an isolated incident: the university's "Fortress of Fundamentalist" approach treats nearly all mental issues as being the result of the sufferer's sin. This is an archaic and damaging practice that needs to stop. Please sign the petition to urge Bob Jones University to apologize for blaming rape sufferers and revise their policy on counseling victims!
As you may know, a new investigative report from Al Jazeera America found that counselors at your school have been telling rape victims to look within themselves to find the "root sin" that caused their rape.
A 19-year-old woman from a conservative Mennonite family had never even held hands with a boy before she was repeatedly raped by a supervisor at her summer job. When she sought help from dean of students Jim Berg, he asked if she'd been smoking pot or drinking, and then asked her to find the sin in her life that led to her rape.
Counselors are twisting the Bible around and making a traumatizing situation even worse. This is far from an isolated incident: the university's "Fortress of Fundamentalist" approach treats nearly all mental issues as being the result of the sufferer's sin. This is not rooted in common sense or the Bible's teachings. This is an archaic and damaging practice that needs to stop. We respectfully urge you to apologize for blaming rape sufferers and revise your policy on counseling victims. Thank you for taking the time to read and consider our petition.
