Rape victims experience ‘involuntary paralysis’ that stops them fighting back, study finds 

The law should take into account evidence showing rape victims can suffer “involuntary paralysis” in sexual assault cases, experts say.

Nearly a third of women are thought to experience sexual assault or rape in their lifetime and of those who visit an emergency clinic, 70 percent report feeling “frozen” during the ordeal.

Some victims are blamed for not fighting or fleeing their attackers.

But researchers argue that such studies should consider neuroscientific evidence suggesting that fear and threat can cause victims to “freeze,” rendering them unable to move or scream even if they want to.

Scientists from University College London (UCL) point to a case in Australia where the defense lawyer asked the victim why she froze and showed no signs of struggle – transferring the blame for the assault to her.

But in a commentary article, the researchers said the victim’s immobility may be completely involuntary.

For example, studies have shown that the brain’s response, when faced with threats, may involve blocking the neural circuits that provide voluntary control over body movements.

Many animals freeze briefly in response to a mild threat, so they’re ready to trigger a fight or flight response.

But in response to an immediate and serious threat, the behavior can change to a prolonged immobility where the body becomes completely frozen or limp.

Similar processes take place in humans, the researchers said, adding that this could have implications for defense arguments in rape and assault cases.

Patrick Haggard, a professor of cognitive neuroscience at UCL, said: ‘The law has long recognized “loss of control” defenses and may award diminished responsibility in specific situations where evidence shows that actions were taken outside voluntary control.

“These could be some medical conditions, such as sleep disorders, in addition to extreme situations such as compulsive control and emotional triggering.

“After reviewing neuroscientific evidence, we suggest making the same consideration with regard to involuntary immobility during rape and sexual assault.

“We hope this can help prevent inappropriate accusations from victims and potentially bring wider societal attention to the critical importance of active consent.”

In 2021-2022, police in England and Wales recorded more than 70,000 rapes. However, only three percent led to an indictment.

Ebani Dhawan, co-author of the commentary, added: “Legal definitions of rape and assault are based on the lack of consent. However, it is not uncommon for reports of non-consent by victims to be questioned in court – against unproven stereotypes of how a “real” victim would supposedly behave.

For example, perpetrators may claim that they assumed the victim consented because there was no apparent attempt to resist.

“We should use neuroscientific findings to prevent these myths from spreading as defenses for sexual assault, and to ensure justice for victims.”

Their comments were published in the journal Nature Human Behavior.