There is a scientific consensus that rapists bear sole responsibility for their actions and that external factors like victim behavior or societal education do not function as causal agents of rape.

The assertion that there is a scientific consensus attributing sexual violence solely to the individual actions of a perpetrator while discounting environmental or societal factors is contradicted by established research in psychology, criminology, and public health. Experts in these fields consistently characterize sexual violence as a multifactorial phenomenon, meaning it is influenced by a complex web of overlapping individual, relational, community, and societal variables.researchgate.netresearchgate.netPsychological Theories Related to Sexual Violence and Abuse.pdfCriminological and psychological research overwhelmingly characterizes sexual violence as a multifactorial phenomenon Experts in criminology, psychology, and public health utilize various theoretical frameworks to explain why sexual...committees.parliament.ukcommittees.parliament.ukCommittees ReportExperts in criminology, psychology, and public health utilize various theoretical frameworks to explain why sexual violence occurs, all of which emphasize that there is no "one-size-fits-all" explanation The consensus among researchers and...

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention utilizes the Social-Ecological Model as a standard framework precisely because it rejects single-factor explanations in favor of a comprehensive approach that targets multiple drivers of violence.wcasa.orgwcasa.orgFrameworkThe Social-Ecological Model: Widely adopted by organizations like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), this model is the standard for conceptualizing the multifactorial nature of sexual violencecdc.govcdc.govCDC ReportThe consensus among researchers and practitioners is that addressing sexual violence requires a comprehensive approach that targets these multiple, overlapping factors rather than focusing on any single driver Research further emphasizes the role of sociocultural elements, such as rape-supportive beliefs or wider social norms, as significant factors that contribute to the occurrence of sexual violence.+2 more

Consequently, the academic and practitioner consensus holds that addressing these multiple, interconnected factors is essential to prevention, as no single driver functions as the exclusive cause of such violence.shs-conferences.orgshs-conferences.orgShsconf Shw2016 01010.pdfCriminological Theories: Modern criminology views sexual violence as an interdisciplinary issueshs-conferences.orgshs-conferences.orgShs-conferences ReportCriminological Theories: Modern criminology views sexual violence as an interdisciplinary issue