Rape Facts

Rape is a violent, traumatic crime that can happen to anyone: young or old, male or female. if is motivated by the need to control, humiliate and harm. Rapists use sex as a weapon to dominate others. This fact page provides you with the basics about rape

Statistics

The Center for Disease Control's National Center for Injury Prevention and Control cite the following statistics(www.cdc.gov/ncipc/factsheets/svfacts 4/17/04)

• One in six women and one in 33 men have experienced an attempted or completed rape.
• Women are 16 times more likely than men to experience rape and sexual assault.
• females ages 12 to 24 are at greatest risk of being raped.
• Girls 16 to 19 are three-and-a-half to four times more likely than the general population to be victims of rape, attempted rape or sexual assault.
• more than half of all rapes occur before age 18.
• 23 percent of all sexual offenders are under the age of 18.
• Fewer than half of all rapes and sexual assaults are reported to the police.
• In one year over 4,000 incidents of rape and sexual assault occurred in public schools across the country.
• According to FBI data almost 70 percent of reported sexual assault occurred in the home of the victim or someone else. So although it's a wise idea to avoid dark alleys and other places perceived as dangerous, it does not offer foolproof protection from rape.

Male Victims

It is estimated that one in six boys will be sexually assaulted before age 18 and that nearly 93,000 men are forcibly raped each year in the United States. Many people mistakenly believe that men should be able to prevent the assault by putting up a fight. No rape victim, male or female, gay or straight, should be judged for failure to stop an assault. some people also believe that if the victim is homosexual or had an erection during the assault, he enjoyed it. No one asks to be raped! It is important to understand that sexual response is automatic and not within the victim's control- just because the body reacted sexually does not mean he enjoyed the abuse. (www.pcar.org)

Effects of Rape

• Physical: Physical injury, sleeplessness, disturbed eating patterns, chronic pelvic pain, premenstrual syndrome, gastrointestinal disorders, sexually transmitted diseases and a variety of chronic pain disorders, including headache, back pain and facial pain.
• Psychological/Emotional: lost sense of safety, feelings of powerlessness, feelings of numbness, disbelief, anxiety, guilt, nervousness, hopelessness, fear, depression, nightmares, anger, grief, shame, rage, humiliation, phobias and suicidal feelings.
• Behavioral: increased risk of substance abuse, withdrawing from people, being jittery and easily frightened, fear of sex, difficulty concentrating, restlessness and not wanting to be alone.