Overview

·         Sexual assault continues to represent the most rapidly growing violent crime in America.

·         Over 700,000 women are sexually assaulted each year.
It is estimated that fewer than 50% of rapes are reported.

·         Approximately 20% of sexual assaults against women are perpetrated by assailants unknown to the victim. The remainder are committed by friends, acquaintances, intimates, and family members.

·         Acquaintance rape is particularly common among adolescent victims.

·         Male victims represent five percent of reported sexual assaults.

·         Among female rape victims, 61% are under age 18.

·         At least 20% of adult women, 15% of college women and 12% of adolescent women have experienced some form of sexual abuse or assault during their lifetimes

A survey of 6,159 college students at 32 institutions in the U.S. found:

·         54% of the women surveyed had been the victims of some form of sexual abuse; more than one in four college-aged women had been the victim of rape or attempted rape

·         57% of the assaults occurred on dates

·         73% of the assailants and 55% of the victims had used alcohol or other drugs prior to the assault

·         25% of the men surveyed admitted some degree of sexually aggressive behavior

·         42% of the victims told no one.

In a survey of high school students, 56% of the girls and 76% of the boys believed forced sex was acceptable under some circumstances.

A survey of 11-to-14 year-olds found:

·         51% of the boys and 41% of the girls said forced sex was acceptable if the boy, "spent a lot of money" on the girl

·         31% of the boys and 32% of the girls said it was acceptable for a man to rape a woman with past sexual experience

·         87% of boys and 79% of girls said sexual assault was acceptable if the man and the woman were married

·         65% of the boys and 47% of the girls said it was acceptable for a boy to rape a girl if they had been dating for more than six months

In a survey of male college students:

·         35% anonymously admitted that, under certain circumstances, they would commit rape if they believed they could get away with it.

·         One in 12 admitted to committing acts that met the legal definitions of rape, and 84% of men who committed rape did not label it as rape.

In another survey of college males:

·         43% of college-aged men admitted to using coercive behavior to have sex, including ignoring a woman's protest, using physical aggression, and forcing intercourse.

·         15% acknowledged they had committed acquaintance rape

·         11% acknowledged using physical restraints to force a woman to have sex.