--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In order to escape accountability for his…" description: "\"“In order to escape accountability for his crimes, the perpetrator does everything in his power to promote forgetting. Secrecy and silence are the perp..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6a/judith-lewis-herman-19218_abuse_in-order-to-escape-accountability-for-hi_1928939.jpg" --- # In order to escape accountability for his crimes, the… ![“In order to escape accountability for his crimes, the perpetrator does everything in his power to promote forgetting. Secrecy and silence are the perpetrator’s first line of defense. If secrecy fails, the perpetrator attacks the credibility of his victim. If he cannot silence her absolutely, he…” quote by Judith Lewis Herman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6a/judith-lewis-herman-19218_abuse_in-order-to-escape-accountability-for-hi_1928939.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6a/judith-lewis-herman-19218_abuse_in-order-to-escape-accountability-for-hi_1928939.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6a/judith-lewis-herman-19218_abuse_in-order-to-escape-accountability-for-hi_1928939.jpg) > ““In order to escape accountability for his crimes, the perpetrator does everything in his power to promote forgetting. Secrecy and silence are the perpetrator’s first line of defense. If secrecy fails, the perpetrator attacks the credibility of his victim. If he cannot silence her absolutely, he tries to make sure that no one listens. To this end, he marshals an impressive array of arguments, from the most blatant denial to the most sophisticated and elegant rationalization. After every atrocity one can expect to hear the same predictable apologies: it never happened; the victim lies; the victim exaggerates; the victim brought it upon herself; and in any case it is time to forget the past and move on. The more powerful the perpetrator, the greater is his prerogative to name and define reality, and the more completely his arguments prevail.”” [Judith Lewis Herman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-lewis-herman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Perpetrators manipulate memory and credibility to evade accountability, using denial and rationalization. **In simple terms:** They hide crimes by silencing victims. Key Takeaway Recognize and challenge manipulative narratives. Themes justice memory accountability power truth Mood somber critical Type analytical educational When to use this quote - legal testimony - media reporting - historical documentation - therapy sessions Key Concepts psychology of denial social influence victim‑blaming Questions to Reflect On - What strategies can protect victims’ credibility? - How can societies preserve collective memory? A Different Perspective Victims may lack evidence to counter sophisticated denial. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abuse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abuse/) [Abuse of power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abuse-of-power/) [Abuse-survivors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abuse-survivors/) [Abusers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abusers/) [Accountability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accountability/) [Allegations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/allegations/) [Attacking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attacking/) [Attacking-people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attacking-people-12211/) [Backlash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/backlash/) [Child abuse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/child-abuse/) [Credibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/credibility/) [Criminals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criminals/) [False-memory-syndrome-myth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/false-memory-syndrome-myth-61057/) [Forget the past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forget-the-past/) [Forgetting Secrecy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forgetting-secrecy-3006905/) [Lack-of-accountability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lack-of-accountability-103317/) [Perpetrator](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perpetrator/) [Perpetrators](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perpetrators/) [Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power/) [Rape](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rape/) [Rapists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rapists/) [Recovered-memories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/recovered-memories/) [Repressed-memories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/repressed-memories/) [Secrecy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secrecy/) [Secrecy Silence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secrecy-silence-1403494/) [Sexual abuse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sexual-abuse/) [Silence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silence/) [Silence Perpetrator](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silence-perpetrator-1403493/) [Silencing-children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silencing-children-170342/) [Silencing-dissent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silencing-dissent-170343/) [Society-denial](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/society-denial/) [Survivor-of-abuse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/survivor-of-abuse-181324/) [Survivors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/survivors/) [Survivors-of-abuse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/survivors-of-abuse/) [Trauma-memories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trauma-memories/) [Victim Silence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/victim-silence-1272712/) ## Related quotes > [In order to escape accountability for his crimes, the perpetrator does everything in his power to promote forgetting. 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If secrecy fails, the perpetrator attacks the credibility of his victim. If he cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/secrecy-and-silence-are-the-perpetrator-s-first-line-of-defense-if/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [“Disclosures of childhood sexual abuse have frequently been discredited through the diagnosis of hysteria. In this view, women/female children were seen either as culpable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-l-alpert/disclosures-of-childhood-sexual-abuse-have-frequently-been/) [Judith L. Alpert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-l-alpert/) ## More by Judith Lewis Herman > [“Therapy requires a collaborative working relationship in which both partners act on the basis of their implicit confidence in the value and efficacy of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-lewis-herman/therapy-requires-a-collaborative-working-relationship-in-which-both/) [Judith Lewis Herman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-lewis-herman/) > [“In situations of captivity the perpetrator becomes the most powerful person in the life of the victim, and the psychology of the victim is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-lewis-herman/in-situations-of-captivity-the-perpetrator-becomes-the-most-powerful/) [Judith Lewis Herman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-lewis-herman/) > [Many abused children cling to the hope that growing up will bring escape and freedom. 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She must find a way to form primary attachments to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-lewis-herman/in-this-climate-of-profoundly-disrupted-relationships-the-child-faces/) [Judith Lewis Herman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-lewis-herman/) > [“Father-daughter incest is not only the type of incest most frequently reported but also represents a paradigm of female sexual victimization. The relationship between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-lewis-herman/father-daughter-incest-is-not-only-the-type-of-incest-most-frequently/) [Judith Lewis Herman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-lewis-herman/) [Explore all 33 Judith Lewis Herman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-lewis-herman/) ## More Abuse quotes > [I wrote when I was a young teen, but I didn't put an eye on the available markets until I was seventeen. 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They will mirror your actions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hadinet-tekie/words-are-free-it-does-not-mean-you-should-abuse-them-be-kind-with/) [Hadinet Tekie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hadinet-tekie/) > [My illness is one often characterized by dramatic overspending - in my case through frenzied shopping sprees, credit card abuse, excessive hoarding of unnecessary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-behrman/my-illness-is-one-often-characterized-by-dramatic-overspending-in-my/) [Andy Behrman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-behrman/) [Browse all 3,113 Abuse quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abuse/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“In order to escape accountability for his crimes, the perpetrator does everything in his power to promote forgetting. Secrecy and silence are the perpetrator’s first line of defense. If secrecy fails, the perpetrator attacks the credibility of his victim. If he cannot silence her absolutely, he tries to make sure that no one listens. To this end, he marshals an impressive array of arguments, from the most blatant denial to the most sophisticated and elegant rationalization. After every atrocity one can expect to hear the same predictable apologies: it never happened; the victim lies; the victim exaggerates; the victim brought it upon herself; and in any case it is time to forget the past and move on. 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