In criminal cases during the 1970s, increasing efforts have been made to study every aspect of the whole criminal situation instead of concentrating solely on the criminal or the crime, which used to be the standard criminological practice. The relationship between the offender and the victim has been investigated and special attention given to the part played by the victim in initiating and cooperating in the crime (Drapkin and Viano, 1974). The whole concept of victimology has been developed and numerous investigations have been made. Several international congresses have been held since 1973 and an international publication, The International Journal of Victimology, was started in 1975. Although criminologists had from time to time commented on the interaction between the offender and the victim, the first important investigations in the field appeared during the Second World War or soon after this. Von Hentig's Remarks on the Interaction of Perpetrator and Victim (1940) and his book The Criminal and His Victim (1948) were the first noteworthy publications on this subject.
Towards the beginning of the 1970s, the relationship between the victim and the offender in sexual crimes began to receive special attention (Gebhard et al., 1965; Amir, 1971; MacDonald, 1971). Scientists have begun to speak about the participation of the victims in [page 122] these crimes. There have also been findings published, which show that the same persons are apt to become victims of sexual crimes again and again (Miller et al., 1978). These findings, of course, also suit the above facts.
At the same time feminists, especially those in the United States, have expressed their anxiety at over-emphasis of these aspects (Wood, 1975). It has been observed that men perceive the participation of the victims, especially in sexual crimes, more often than do women (Calhoun et al., 1976). This can sometimes be seen from the difference in the sentences passed in the courts, depending on the sex of the judge. However, it is, in general, admitted that clarification of the victimological aspects and a thorough investigation of all the circumstances in sexual crimes, could provide a more objective and complete picture of these crimes, and possibly help to prevent them in the future.