Sur-violence

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Secondary violence

Also known as ‘secondary victimisation’, secondary violence refers to the additional suffering endured by a victim of violence as a result of inappropriate reactions to their status as a victim. This can take several forms: questioning the victim's experience, victim blaming (holding the victim responsible for the assault they have suffered), or institutional reactions (such as refusing to take a complaint, or procedures that are humiliating, intrusive, or overly lengthy).