I don't think the stigma surrounding victims of sex crimes or those with psychiatric illnesses is so much a problem because of Orthodox teachings in Russia. My sister has had severe bipolar with delusions my entire life. She has spent time in psychiatric hospitals when I was girl. Through how she is treated in society I can see the change in our own country and it is only in the last 10 years (tops) she has been given any measure of respect or dignity from people, when they find out about her illness or see how it makes her act. In the past people would make fun of her, call into question her intelligence, and say the most cruel things. I have seen the same treatment to a friend who has dealt with depression since high school. It is only rather recently that I have seen people actually understand and treat them rightly. Many in our country still don't get the proper help they need in our country because of the stigma is still there in our country, awareness to these illnesses being real is something very new here.
The same goes for sex crimes and the victim being blamed. We had a very recent case in Orange County, California of a young woman gang raped by the police chief's son and two of his friends. This was just 5 years ago. The press cremated her and people believed the press when it said that she wasn't really raped, she wanted what happened because she asked them to make a violent inappropriate contento with her. There was a mistrial and the jury admitted it was because they felt she wanted what happened to her. Our country is very new in dealing with sex crimes properly and not blaming victim but perpetrator, and sometimes that still can be seen. Keep in mind Mariya, when we were little girls, it was still admissible in this country for the defense attorney to admit the victims past as proof she wasn't raped. The laws that stopped that are very new. Most sex crimes are still under reported because women are still afraid, not just that they'll be attacked again, but how the police and courts will treat them, of what everyone will think. Again because awareness of who is really at fault in a sex crime is something that is still new in this country, it has only in the last 2 decades we have been treating victims like victims, instead of blaming them.
