Recent high-profile cases, such as the accusations against Sean Combs and the horrific revelations involving Dominique Pelicot in France, have brought the pervasive issue of sexual violence in intimate relationships to the forefront. These cases may seem extraordinary in their scope and brutality, but they reveal a disturbing truth: sexual violence, far from being a rare outlier, is rooted in everyday behaviors, beliefs, and cultural norms that too often go unquestioned.
In both cases, powerful men are accused of dehumanizing and abusing women they were intimately involved with. Combs allegedly used coercion, drugs, and threats to force women into non-consensual sexual acts at his notorious “freak off” parties, while Pelicot drugged his wife and invited dozens of men to rape her while she was unconscious. As shocking as these stories are, they share commonalities with the experiences of countless others who suffer in silence. Most sexual violence, experts note, occurs not in dark alleys at the hands of strangers but within the context of trusted relationships, often hidden behind closed doors.
Understanding the Predictors of Sexual Violence
Sexual violence does not occur in a vacuum. It is often the result of deeply ingrained societal beliefs, individual traumas, and relational dynamics that foster abuse. Recognizing the predictors of such violence is critical in addressing and preventing it from occurring in the first place.
Gender-Based Power Imbalances
At the heart of many abusive relationships is a power imbalance rooted in gender norms that reinforce male dominance. In cultures where men are encouraged to assert control over women—whether financially, emotionally, or sexually—the risk of sexual violence significantly increases. This dynamic was at play in both the Combs and Pelicot cases, where men viewed their female partners as objects to be controlled or dominated.
As Elizabeth Spiers, a contributing writer for The New York Times, points out in her recent essay, the belief that women are subhuman or inferior is not only tolerated but embedded in much of American culture. These views, which reduce women to their ability to serve or reproduce for men, are pervasive. “One of the predictors of sexual violence in intimate partner relationships,” Spiers writes, “is whether men view their partners as having low cognition or low worth. Or to put it bluntly, whether they think their partners are stupid and have little value to society beyond their ability to reproduce and aid men”.
This belief system underpins the very essence of sexual violence in intimate relationships, where the abuser dehumanizes their partner, seeing them as an object rather than a sentient being with autonomy and worth.
Childhood Trauma and Exposure to Violence
Many perpetrators of sexual violence have their own histories of trauma, particularly in childhood. Experiences of sexual abuse or exposure to violence can predispose individuals to repeat those behaviors later in life. This cycle of abuse often continues unchecked when survivors of trauma do not receive the support or intervention they need.
Spiers also highlights how this dehumanization is a learned behavior, often passed down through generations. For men like Dominique Pelicot, this process of viewing women as property—something that can be “shared” or abused—was likely reinforced by toxic cultural norms that diminish the value of female autonomy. In the Pelicot case, some of the men on trial even offered as their defense the belief that Pelicot, as a husband, had the right to permit others to violate his wife.
The Role of Substance Abuse and Control
Substance abuse also plays a significant role in many cases of sexual violence. Alcohol and drugs often lower inhibitions and impair judgment, leading to increased aggression and a heightened risk of abuse. For Sean Combs, allegations of using drugs to coerce women into sexual acts at his parties exemplify how substances can be weaponized to strip victims of their autonomy.
Beyond physical control, psychological manipulation is another powerful predictor of sexual violence. Abusers often employ tactics like gaslighting, emotional degradation, and isolation to weaken their partner’s sense of self-worth and make them more vulnerable to sexual coercion.
Breaking the Cycle: A Call to Fathers
As we consider the causes of sexual violence, it’s clear that breaking the cycle requires education, accountability, and the rejection of harmful gender norms. Fathers, in particular, have a critical role to play in modeling respect, equality, and non-violence in their relationships.
Teaching boys to value women as equals, rather than objects, and to understand the principles of consent and mutual respect is crucial. Boys learn from what they see at home—how their fathers treat women, how they handle conflict, and how they express emotion. Fathers must be role models, showing their sons that masculinity is not about dominance or control but about respect and empathy.
Conclusion: Changing the Culture
Addressing the predictors of sexual violence requires a cultural shift. As Spiers reflects on the public reaction to cases like those of Combs and Pelicot, she notes the widespread acceptance of dehumanizing attitudes toward women in everyday life, from workplace double standards to the oversexualization of female public figures. “These actions may violate the law,” she writes, “but they merely stretch the social codes that more frequently reward men for their power over women”.
Ending sexual violence begins by addressing these social codes and rethinking how we raise the next generation of men. Fathers, families, and communities have the power to dismantle harmful norms and build a future where intimate relationships are based on mutual respect, equality, and love.
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