SEXUAL ASSAULT INFORMATION SHEETSexual violence is any act (verbal and/or physical) which breaks a person's trust and/or safety and is sexual in nature. The term "sexual violence" includes: rape, incest, child sexual assault, ritual abuse, date and acquaintance rape, marital or partner rape, sexual harassment, exposure, and voyeurism. Sexual assaults are acts of violence where sex is used as the weapon. Assaults are motivated primarily out of anger and/or a need to feel powerful by controlling, dominating, or humiliating the victim. Victims/survivors of sexual assaults are forced, coerced, and/or manipulated to participate in unwanted sexual activity. Victims/survivors do not cause their assaults and are not to blame. Offenders are responsible for the assaults.
Here Are the Facts for the United States:
Few rapes are reported to the police (52% according to DOJ, 59% according to the FBI) most commonly because it is a private or personal matter and/or they fear reprisal from the assailant. (Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Dept. Of Justice, 1994, and the FBI).
One in two rape victims are under age 18; one in six are under age 12. (Child Rape Victims, 1992, Dept. of Justice).
As many as 1 in 5 to 1 in 7 boys are sexually abused. (Finkelhor, Hotaling, Lewis, & Smith, 1990; Fromuth & Burkhart, 1987, 1989, in The Male Survivor: The Impact of Sexual Abuse by Matthew Parynik Mendel, 1995, Sage Publications, USA.
31% of a survey of 930 women reported at least one experience of extrafamilial sexual abuse before the age of 18; 16% reported at least one experience of intrafamilial sexual abuse before age 18.("The Incidence and Prevalence of Intrafamilial and Extrafamilial Sexual Abuse of Female Children", Diane Russell, Child Abuse & Neglect, 1983).
In 1992, over 55,000 American women were raped each month - over 1,800 women per day (Stop Violence Against Women, NOW Legal Defense Fund, 1994).
An estimated 12.1 million women in the U.S. have been victims of rape. 39% of these, or an estimated 4.7 million women, have been victims of more than one rape (Rape in America, National Victim Center, 1992).
The total of 97,464 forcible rapes reported to law enforcement during 1995 was the lowest total since 1989. The 1995 count was 5% lower than in 1994. In the UCR program, the victims of forcible rape are always women, and in 1995 an estimated 72 of every 100,000 females in the country were reported rape victims (UCR - FBI Crime Report, 1995, http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/ucr95prs.htm).
American women are 8 times more likely to be raped than European women and 26 more likely than Japanese women (Senate Judiciary Committee Report on Sexual Assault, 1991).
31% of female victims reported that the offender was a stranger. (Violence Against Women, Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Dept. Of Justice, 1994)
One study found that 29.3% of rapes occurred when the victims were less than 11 years old; 32% occurred between the ages of 11 and 17; and 22% occurred between the ages of 18 and 24 (National Victim Center, 1992).
68% of rapes occur between the hours of 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. (Violence Against Women, Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Dept. Of Justice, 1994).
In 47% of rapes, the victim sustained injuries other than rape injuries. (Violence Against Women, Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Dept. Of Justice, 1994).
Approximately 28% of victims are raped by intimates such as husbands or boyfriends, 35% by acquaintances, and 5% by other relatives. (Violence Against Women, BJS, US DOJ, 1994).
An estimated 14-25% of women experience forced sex at least once during their marriages. (Resnick, Kilpatrick, Walsh, & Veronen, 1991; Russel, 1990, in Wife Rape: Understanding the Response of Survivors and Service Providers by Raquel Kennedy Bergen, 1996, Sage Publications, USA.
Rape impacts on victims' mental health. 31% of all rape victims develop Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) sometime during their lifetime and they are 3 times more likely to have had a major depressive episode than non-victims of crime. Also, rape victims are 4.1 times more likely to have contemplated suicide and 13 times more likely to have actually made a suicide attempt (Rape in America, 1992).
Eight out of ten violent crimes against white women are perpetrated by white offenders. Similarly, almost 9 out of 10 violent victimizations sustained by black women are committed by black offenders. (Violence Against Women, Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Dept. Of Justice, 1994).
Here are the Facts for Wisconsin:
Based on Reports Made to Law Enforcement in 1995:
An estimated 6,101 sexual assaults were reported in 1995. This represents a 7% decrease from the 1994 reported total.
84% of victims were female, 92% of offenders were male.
92% of all sexual assaults were perpetrated by someone known to the victim, while 8% were committed by strangers. 60% of assaults took place in either the victim's or offender's home.
75% of all sexual assault victims were juveniles. Over 68% of all victims were 15 years old or younger.
The average age of the offender was 25, ten years older than the average victim age of 15.
Source for Wisconsin Statistics: 1995 Wisconsin Office of Justice Assistance Report on Sexual Assaults in Wisconsin, 1995
This information sheet was revised in 1997 by the Wisconsin Coalition Against Sexual Assault (WCASA). WCASA is a membership organization of sexual assault centers and other organizations and individuals throughout Wisconsin who are working to end sexual violence. For information sheets on additional topics or for membership information, contact WCASA at 123 E. Main St., Madison, WI 53703, (608) 257-1516. For more information about sexual assault, contact your local sexual assault program. This sheet may be reproduced.
