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GENERAL INFORMATION ON SEXUAL ASSAULT
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Facts About Sexual Violence
Sexual Violence is Shockingly Common
◊ 1 of 6 U.S. women and 1 of 33 U.S. men has experienced an “attempted or completed rape” as a child and/or adult (using a definition of rape that includes forced vaginal, oral, and anal sex). 1
◊ In Kentucky, 1 in 9 adult women has been “forcibly raped” at sometime in her life, that totals more than 175,000 women. 2 This estimate is conservative, as it does not include alcohol- or drug- facilitated rape, attempted rape, ‘statutory rape’ (i.e., sex with someone under age 16 without explicit force), or other forms of sexual violence.
Sex Offenders Commonly Prey On People They Know
◊ 73% of female rape victims knew the offender, either as a ‘friend,’ acquaintance, intimate partner, or relative. 3
◊ Nearly 8% of women have been raped by an intimate partner at some point in her lifetime. 4
Sex Offenders Commonly Prey On Those Unable To Protect Themselves
◊ 54% of female victims said they were less than 18 years old when they were first raped and 18%of these women were also raped after the age of 18. 1
◊ People with developmental disabilities, physical disabilities, psychiatric disabilities, and those who are elderly are also frequently targeted.
Sexual Violence is Costly to both individuals and society.
◊ Rape is the costliest of crimes to its victims. Overall, victim costs are estimated at $127 billion per year. Taking into account short-term medical care, mental health services, lost productivity, and pain & suffering, the cost per sexual assault is estimated at $110,000. Pain & suffering accounts for $104, 900. 5
◊ Societal costs include businesses losses, through absenteeism and third-party liability; criminal justice responses, such as investigation, prosecution, incarceration, and registration; and non-monetary losses, such as fear and corresponding loss of quality of life. 5
Alcohol and Other Drugs Are The Weapons Most Frequently Used by Sex Offenders
◊ More than half of women raped by an acquaintance reported consumption of alcohol or other drugs. 1
◊ 75% of men involved consumed alcohol or other drugs. 1
◊ Offenders have and/or use traditional weapons, such as guns and knives, in 7% of all rapes and other sexual assaults. 3
Most Survivors Do Not Seek Immediate Professional Help
◊ Most sexual violence is not reported to police.
◊ Over 60% of rapes and attempted rapes are never reported to police. 6
◊ Over 70% of crimes involving other forms of sexual violence are never reported to police. 6
◊ Most victims do not seek medical treatment for their
injuries.
◊ Only 32 % of rape and attempted rape survivors are treated for injuries. 6
◊ Only 27% of victims injured during other forms of sexual violence are treated for injuries. 6
Sexual Violence Has Dramatic Long-Term Impacts
◊ Survivors are at greater risk for mental health problems than those who have never been sexually assaulted.
◊ 31% of rape survivors experience posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). 2
◊ 30% experience major depression at some time in their lives. 2
◊ 33% experience serious suicidal thoughts at some time in their lives. 2
◊ Long-term physical impacts are frequently related to sexual violence such as sexually transmitted infections, unplanned pregnancy/child-birth, eating disorders, sleep disorders, and use of alcohol and/or other drugs.
REFERENCES
1. Tjaden & Thoennes, U.S. Dept. of Justice (US DOJ), Findings from the
National Violence Against Women Survey (2000), www.ncjrs.org.
2. Kilpatrick & Ruggiero, National Violence Against Women Prevention
Research Center, Rape in Kentucky: A Report to the Commonwealth (2003).
3. Bureau of Justice Statistics, US DOJ, Criminal Victimization, 2005 (Aug.
2005), www.ojp.usdoj.gov.
4. National Center for Injury Prevention & Control, Costs of Intimate Partner
Violence Against Women in the U.S. (2003), www.cdc.gov/ncipc/.
5. Miller, Cohen & Wieserman, US DOJ, Victim Costs & Consequences
(1996), http://www.ncjrs.org.
6. Rennison, US DOJ, Rape & Sexual Assault: Reporting to Police &
Medical Attention, 1992-2000 (2002), www.ojp.usdoj.gov.
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