DARVO is a tactic used to publicly discredit accusers and privately subdue victims with shame and a sense of shared guilt – however false. Like the term gaslighting , you may have seen it used in discussions about domestic and sexual violence, but what does it describe exactly?
DARVO stands for Deny, Attack, and Reverse Victim and Offender.
Professor Patrick O Leary from Griffith University told
SBS Voices that perpetrators often use DARVO to shame victims into believing they are responsible for the abuse.
An abuser might say if you really cared about me, you wouldn t do that to justify an act of violence because he says his victim s behaviour provoked him – she was spending too much time with friends, for example. The victim believes that the abuse is their fault, at least in part, says Prof O Leary, and they could stop it if they behaved a certain way.
Reversing Blame
File photos of Ali Zafar and Meesha Shafi
Ali Zafar’s response to Meesha Shafi’s allegations has proven a textbook example of DARVO: deny, attack and reverse victim and offender
Published in Volume 29, Issue Number 8 of the
Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment and Trauma, Sarah Harsey and Jennifer J. Freyd’s research paper, “Deny, Attack and Reverse Victim and Offender (DARVO): What is the Influence on Perceived Perpetrator and Victim Credibility?,” begins by defining DARVO as the manner in which “perpetrators of interpersonal violence deflect blame and responsibility when confronted for their abusive behavior.” This is likely a familiar refrain for many victims of harassment and sexual violence.