This document discusses facts and statistics about the incidence and prevalence of sexual assault in the United States. It finds that the actual rate of sexual assault is 10 to 15 times greater than reported statistics, with studies showing that 24% of women have experienced sexual assault. Most sexual assaults are perpetrated by someone known to the victim, such as a date or acquaintance, rather than a stranger. Acquaintance rapes are less likely to be reported to police compared to stranger rapes. The document examines statistics from various studies and surveys on sexual assault.
These slides cover topics on Rape and its effects, its treatment, laws, types, and some case studies. It also discusses about Consent and Molestation, Sexual Assault.
These slides cover topics on Rape and its effects, its treatment, laws, types, and some case studies. It also discusses about Consent and Molestation, Sexual Assault.
R A P E V I C T I M S A R E A C L A S S O F P E R S O N S O F T E N D...MedicalWhistleblower
Every two minutes, somewhere in America, someone is sexually assaulted. 1, 2 One out of every six American women has been the victim of an attempted or completed rape in her lifetime. 3 Only one in 50 women who have been raped reports the crime to the police.4
Although both women and men may be victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking, women are the victims of the vast majority of these crimes. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, more than 85% of violent victimizations by intimate partners between 1993 and 1998 were perpetrated against women. Women are between 13 and 14 times more likely than men to be raped or sexually assaulted; for instance, in 1994, 93% of sexual assaults were perpetrated against women. Four of five stalking victims are women.
Drug Facilitated Sexual Assault Partners With Law EnforcementMedicalWhistleblower
Drug Facilitated Sexual Assault is poorly understood and often not adequately investigated. This program seeks to describe the reality of drug facilitated sexual assault and to point out ways to improve outcomes for victims, law enforcement and social service providers.
MSUM's 2nd Annual Walk A Mile In Her Shoes® - Rape & Abuse SignsMSUM Dragon Athletics
Walk a Mile in Her Shoes® is a International Men’s March to Stop Rape, Sexual Assault & Gender Violence. This will be the second year the All-American has lead this event. The event is on Sunday, March 25 in the CMU Main Lounge and Ballroom, and all members of the Fargo-Moorhead community are welcomed.
During the walk, women and men together will walk a mile around the campus of MSUM. Men will be given the opportunity to wear high heels to signify putting yourself in her shoes.
Last year’s event was a huge succes and all the Dragon teams had players that participated. Again this year student-athletes will be in attendance for the event, and you really should see a men’s basketball center in six inch heels.
Date and Acquaintance Rape - as given (4.19.2014)William Harryman
A presentation on the statistics of date and acquaintance rape and sexual assault. Included information on how bystanders can intervene and a prevention model that focuses on men. (This is shorter version cut back to fit time constraints.)
R A P E V I C T I M S A R E A C L A S S O F P E R S O N S O F T E N D...MedicalWhistleblower
Every two minutes, somewhere in America, someone is sexually assaulted. 1, 2 One out of every six American women has been the victim of an attempted or completed rape in her lifetime. 3 Only one in 50 women who have been raped reports the crime to the police.4
Although both women and men may be victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking, women are the victims of the vast majority of these crimes. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, more than 85% of violent victimizations by intimate partners between 1993 and 1998 were perpetrated against women. Women are between 13 and 14 times more likely than men to be raped or sexually assaulted; for instance, in 1994, 93% of sexual assaults were perpetrated against women. Four of five stalking victims are women.
Drug Facilitated Sexual Assault Partners With Law EnforcementMedicalWhistleblower
Drug Facilitated Sexual Assault is poorly understood and often not adequately investigated. This program seeks to describe the reality of drug facilitated sexual assault and to point out ways to improve outcomes for victims, law enforcement and social service providers.
MSUM's 2nd Annual Walk A Mile In Her Shoes® - Rape & Abuse SignsMSUM Dragon Athletics
Walk a Mile in Her Shoes® is a International Men’s March to Stop Rape, Sexual Assault & Gender Violence. This will be the second year the All-American has lead this event. The event is on Sunday, March 25 in the CMU Main Lounge and Ballroom, and all members of the Fargo-Moorhead community are welcomed.
During the walk, women and men together will walk a mile around the campus of MSUM. Men will be given the opportunity to wear high heels to signify putting yourself in her shoes.
Last year’s event was a huge succes and all the Dragon teams had players that participated. Again this year student-athletes will be in attendance for the event, and you really should see a men’s basketball center in six inch heels.
Date and Acquaintance Rape - as given (4.19.2014)William Harryman
A presentation on the statistics of date and acquaintance rape and sexual assault. Included information on how bystanders can intervene and a prevention model that focuses on men. (This is shorter version cut back to fit time constraints.)
We watched it in mentoring term 1, if you dont remember it just have a quick look through it to get an idea... you dont have to read the whole thing again!
Led by law enforcement professionals working in partnership with victim advocates and experts in the field of sexual assault response and prevention, the aim of the You Have Options Program (YHOP) is to make the law enforcement response to sexual assault more effective. This presentation is from the National Center for Campus Public Safety’s (NCCPS) webinar, You Have Options: An Overview of the National Law Enforcement Sexual Assault Reporting Program. In this webinar, Detective Carrie Hull, YHOP program director, and Christia Currie, training and information specialist, discuss the 20 Elements of the YHOP, as well as the implementation process for participating law enforcement agencies, including sworn campus law enforcement agencies.
In October 2011, Professors Caroline Heldman and Lisa Wade of Occidental College gave this presentation to President Jonathan Veitch, Dean Barbara Avery, and Dean Erica O'Neal Howard to provide an overview of sexual assault on Oxy's campus (using original data they had collected with Oxy students) and to provide best practices for improving the sexual assault climate, programming, policy, and procedures on Occidental College's campus. In response, President Veitch shared that he wanted to make Occidental a "national leader" for its treatment and handling of sexual assault and sexual misconduct.
Nearly two years later, because of ongoing sexual assault issues on campus and a lack of institutional response to improve these issues, OSAC is filing a complaint with the Office of Civil Rights for Title IX violations and a Clery Act complaint for continued misreporting of sexual misconduct on Occidental College's campus.
Sexual violence occurs throughout the world Available data suggest
that in some countries nearly one in four women may experience
sexual violence by an intimate partner and up to one third of
adolescent girls report their first sexual experience as being forced
Sexual violence has a profound impact on physical and mental health
As well as causing physical injury, it is associated with an increased
risk of a range of sexual and reproductive health problems, with both
immediate and long term consequences
Until recently, it was possible to condemn criminologists both for their near silence on women and criminal law, and for their sexism when they did speak. The most recent wave of feminism has witnessed two seemingly contradictory developments in theories of women and crime. First, femi-nism has kindled interest in women's studies in various academic disci-plines. Criminology has been no exception: the sexist treatment of women victims and offenders by police and other criminal justice officials, the sex-ism of traditional theories of crime, and the concept of victimless crimes have all been under attack.' But, there have also been arguments that women's crime has increased as a result of the women's liberation movement. This belief has been called "the most powerful and widely held ... concerning the topic of female criminality," and its impact has been felt by women offenders being pun-ished for their supposed acts of liberation.' Feminist criminologists now must do more than denounce mainstream criminology for its failure to ac-knowledge the significance of female crime. It is not enough simply to resurrect the neglected female offender. We must transcend the traditional boundaries of criminology and examine the role of the state and the law in reinforcing the position of women in contemporary society.
Rape Victims Are A Class Of Persons Often Defined By Gender Medical ...MedicalWhistleblower
Every two minutes, somewhere in America, someone is sexually assaulted. One out of every six American women has been the victim of an attempted or completed rape in her lifetime. Only one in 50 women who have been raped reports the crime to the police.
Although both women and men may be victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking, women are the victims of the vast majority of these crimes. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, more than 85% of violent victimizations by intimate partners between 1993 and 1998 were perpetrated against women. Women are between 13 and 14 times more likely than men to be raped or sexually assaulted; for instance, in 1994, 93% of sexual assaults were perpetrated against women. Four of five stalking victims are women. Data on male victimization do not show that males experience comparable victimizations and injury levels, do not account for women who act in self defense, and do not measure financial control, intimidation, and isolation used by perpetrators of domestic violence against women.
The gender issue is foremost in sexual assault issues, and is usually background in general victimization. The unique cultural bias and shaming that accompanies rape cases needs its own focused opposition. The history of rape law is a history of the law used as a tool to protect rapists, rather than the raped. The anti-rape movement confronts, as it must, the cultural myths that uniquely exist in the context of rape. Manipulation of these myths, along with humiliation and victim blaming, are typical informal defenses to rape charges. Blaming victims in rape cases may be an effective means to secure acquittal. In contrast, blaming a robbery victim is typically ineffective because robbery is unaccompanied by the same pernicious cultural myths. The nature of stigma and abuse in rape cases is profound and unique, a criminal process that mistreats and excludes other types of victims also inflicts secondary victimization.
In 2002, there were 247,730 victims of rape, attempted rape or sexual assault. One out of every six American women have been the victims of an attempted or completed rape in their lifetime (14.8% completed rape; 2.8% attempted rape). A total of 17.7 million women have been victims of these crimes. In 2002, one in every eight rape victims were male. 93% of juvenile sexual assault victims knew their attacker; 34.2% were family members and 58.7% acquaintances. Only seven percent of the perpetrators were strangers to the victim.
One of the most startling aspects of sex crimes is how many go unreported. The most common reasons given by victims for not reporting these crimes are the belief that it is a private or personal matter and that they fear reprisal from the assailant.
• In 2001, only 39% of rapes and sexual assaults were reported to law enforcement officials — about one in every three. [1999 NCVS]
• Approximately 66% of rape victims know their assailant.
• Approximately 48% of victims are raped by a friend or acquaintance; 30% by a stranger; 16% by an intimate; 2% by another relative; and in 4% of cases the relationship is unknown.
• About four out of ten sexual assaults take place at the victim’s own home. More than half of all rape/sexual assault incidents were reported by victims to have occurred within one mile of their home or at their home.
• In one study, 98% of males who raped boys reported that they were heterosexual.
• Rapists are more likely to be serial criminals than serial rapists. In one study, 46% of rapists who were released from prison were rearrested within 3 years of their release for another crime -- 18.6% for a violent offense, 14.8% for a property offense, 11.2% for a drug offense and 20.5% for a public-order offense.
• 61% of rapes/sexual assaults are not reported to the police. Those rapists, of course, never serve a day in prison.
So, even in the 39% of attacks that are reported to police, there is onl
October is time for raising domestic violence issues within our communities. It is extra special to survivors like me for people to help spread the facts about domestic violence instead of letting rumors fly around.
Presented by
John Lynch, Yamhill Co. Juv. Dept.
SUPERVISION & TREATMENT
OF SEXUAL OFFENDERS
1
Almost every hand you’ve shaken has touched a penis.
THINK ABOUT THIS
FOR A SECOND…
To gain knowledge regarding the broad range of considerations when supervising offenders who have committed sexual offenses and to examine effective intervention strategies.
LEARNING GOAL
Myths about sex offenders
Common characteristics of sex offenders
Sexual offense recidivism rates
Risk factors that are/are not associated
with recidivism
Common tactics of sex offenders
WE WILL COVER…
“Success-oriented” supervision model
The importance of communication
Specialized supervision conditions and
success-oriented goals
How to respond to violations
WE WILL COVER…
Effective interventions
Common treatment goals
Use of the polygraph
Doing your job better & reducing your
stress
WE WILL COVER…
SEX OFFENDER VERSION
7
Most sexual offenses are committed by strangers.
Most sexual offenses are committed by someone known to the victim or victim’s family, regardless if the victim is a child or an adult.
Approximately 60% of boys and 80% of girls who are sexually victimized are abused by someone known to the child or the child’s family.
From 2005 to 2010, 78% of sexual violence involved an offender who was a family member, intimate partner, friend, or acquaintance.
Debunking the Myths
Bullet 2 – (60% boys / 80% girls) is from Lieb, Quinsey, and Berliner, 1998.
In a 2009 study conducted by the US Dept. of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, 13,471 juvenile sex offender cases were evaluated which revealed that in 88.2% of reported incidents, the victim was either a family member or acquaintance.
Only 2.5% involved a victim who was considered a stranger to the offender.
Victim Relationship
Rape and sexual assault victimizations against females by victim-offender relationship
1994–1998, 1999–2004, and 2005–2010Victim-Offender Relationship1994-19981999-20042005-2010Stranger
Non-stranger21%
79%25%
75%22%
78%Intimate Partner
(includes former spouse, BF, GF)28%30%34%Relative9%3%6%Acquaintance42%42%38%
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey, 1994–2010.
Female Victims of Sexual Violence, 1994-2010 (March 2013). Special report published by the US Dept. of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics.
Sexual offense rates are higher than ever and continue to climb.
Despite the increase in publicity about sexual crimes, from 1995 to 2010, the estimated annual rate of female (age 12 or older) rape or sexual assault victimizations has declined 58%.
Debunking the Myths
Only a fraction of those who commit sexual offenses are apprehended and convicted for their crimes.
Debunking the Myths
Debunking the Myths
This figure taken from the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) website, acces.
Bad bad teacher! How judicial lenience, cultural ignorance, and media hype have inevitably lead to lighter sentences, underreporting and glamorization of female sex offenders - By: Stephanie S. Reidlinger
Very few of us know that 73% of the rape victims know the rapists. Moreover, 40% of rapes happen at victim’s home and 20% occur in the homes of familiar people.
It turned out that most of us have no idea about the effective precautions needed to protect ourselves from the traumatic experience, because we expect danger from a wrong source. A widespread belief is that one should expect a rapist to sit in the bushes in the park late at night, while the reality is different.
My colleague Paulina Grzelak and I were astonished while exploring this topic, as we were quite oblivious to the real situation as well. Therefore, we decided to make a small questionnaire and ask people what they think about rape.
This presentation begins with the analysis of what makes a person become a rapist, which is followed by the comparison of the results of the questionnaire with real data.
I would be grateful if you shared this presentation as many people need this knowledge.
I also want to add that most figures we present come from the States where definition of rape and social situation may differ from ours. Hence, comparing data from the U.S. with opinions from Poland and Ukraine may seem improper. For instance, being forced into sexual contact by husband may not even be recognized as rape in Ukraine, “because it’s his natural right”. And even if a wife admits this fact, social welfare system (which does not exist here, let’s face it) leaves her no option apart from remaining silent, while in the U.S. rape victims are less dependent on family members. Therefore, one has to approach the statistics carefully. Still, we believe that using American data can be justified by the fact that they explore the subject more than any other country.
This article co-written by Dr. Robert J. Winn which aims to quantify the number of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Philadelphia who report to be victims of domestic violence.
Donohoe, M. (2016). Violence Against Women. Retrieved April 22, 2017, from https://phsj.org/womens-health/
Dr. Donohoe of Public Health & Social Justice highlights the interconnections between violence against women, other health issues, and human rights.
Per the website:" All slide shows are open-access. Feel free to use information from the articles and slide shows, indeed even the slides themselves, with appropriate citation."
1. Realities of Sexual Assault
Purpose
This module examines the realities of
sexual assault, allowing you to deepen
your understanding of the problem.
2. Lessons
• Incidence and Prevalence of Sexual
Assault.
• Myths and Facts about Rape.
3. Learning Objectives
By the end of this module, you will be able
to
• Correctly answer at least two questions
about the incidence and prevalence of
sexual assault in the United States.
• Identify at least one factor contributing to
the underreporting of rape.
• List at least two myths and two facts
about rape.
4. Facts About Incidence and
Prevalence of Sexual Assault
• Violence is a part of American life.
• More Americans died of gunshot wounds
between 1994 and 1996 than were killed
during the Vietnam War.
• We are also a rape-prone society, and
women are disproportionately burdened
by the threat of sexual assault.
5. Facts About Incidence and
Prevalence of Sexual Assault
• A random sample of 930 women in San
Francisco found a staggering 46 percent
probability that a woman will be raped in her
lifetime.
• The 2004 Uniform Crime Reports indicates that
94,653 women reported being forcibly raped in
the United States in 2004. This represents an
increase of 4.9 percent from 2000, when 90,186
women reported a sexual assault.
6. Facts About Incidence and
Prevalence of Sexual Assault
• Sixty-three of every 100,000 women in the
United States were the victims of a forcible rape
and reported the crime to the police in 2000, an
increase of less than percent from 1999. This
represented the first increase in reported sexual
assaults since 1999.
• The 2004 Uniform Crime Reports statistics are
the most current and up to date. However, 2005
statistics are available from January to
December, with the preliminary data showing
that there was an overall 1.9 percent decrease in
forcible rapes from 2004 to 2005.
7. Facts About Incidence and
Prevalence of Sexual Assault
• More rapes were reported in large metropolitan areas,
where the rate was 64.4 victims per 100,000 population,
compared with 47.7 per 100,000 in non-metropolitan
counties. Geographically, of the forcible rapes reported
in 2004, 38.2 percent occurred in the most heavily
populated southern states, 25.3 percent in the
Midwestern states, 23.6 percent in the western states,
and 12.9 percent in the northeastern states.
• The 2-year trend indicates that forcible rape increased
slightly in the Midwest and the south, 0.7 percent and 1.3
percent, respectively, while it decreased in the northeast
and the west, 2.9 percent and 1.7 percent, respectively.
8. Facts About Incidence and
Prevalence of Sexual Assault
• This increase may represent an actual increase in crime
or may be the result of better community education,
service availability, and improved reporting. For every
woman who reports, it is estimated an additional 4 to 15
are raped but do not report.
• In one program, more than 20 percent of rape victims
were uncertain about whether to report when they first
came to the emergency department; however,discussing
their fears and concerns with a knowledgeable nurse or
adovcate led all but 5 percent of the survivors to decide
to report.
9. FBI New Definition of Rape
• In 2012, the FBI changed their definition from "The carnal knowledge of a
female forcibly and against her will." to "The penetration, no matter how
slight, of the vagina or anus with any body part or object, or oral penetration
by a sex organ of another person, without the consent of the victim." for
their annual Uniform Crime Reports.
• The definition, which had remained unchanged since 1927, was considered
outdated and narrow. The updated definition includes any gender of victim
and perpetrator, not just women being raped by men, recognizes that rape
with an object can be as traumatic as penile/vaginal rape, includes
instances in which the victim is unable to give consent because of
temporary or permanent mental or physical incapacity, and recognizes that
a victim can be incapacitated and thus unable to consent because of
ingestion of drugs or alcohol.
• However, the definition does not change Federal or state criminal codes or
impact charging and prosecution on the Federal, State or local level; it
rather means that rape will be more accurately reported nationwide
10. Facts About Incidence and
Prevalence of Sexual Assault
• A survey of a sample of 6,159 college men and women
from institutions across the United States. They found
that since age 14, 24 percent of the women reported
being sexually assaulted, 25 percent of the men
admitted to aggressive sexual behavior, and 8 percent of
the men admitted to perpetrating an act that met the
definition of sexual assault. They also found that none of
the men who committed these sexual assaults had been
reported or involved in the courts and were not included
in FBI national crime statistics. They concluded that the
actual rate of sexual assault was 10 to 15 times greater
than reported, even though they recognized that sexual
assault rates are three times higher for college women
than women in the general population.
11. Facts About Incidence and
Prevalence of Sexual Assault Cont.
• This study attracted great public interest and concern,
not only because of the prevalence of sexual assault that
had been identified, but because so many male college
students admitted to perpetrating rape yet did not label
the forced sex as “rape” nor consider themselves rapists.
In addition, 35 percent of the males surveyed admitted
that they would rape if they thought they could get away
with it. Equally alarming, in a survey of high school
students, 56 percent of the girls and 76 percent of the
boys believed forced sex was acceptable under some
circumstances. Similar results were obtained in an earlier
survey of 432 adolescents. Fifty-six percent of the girls
and 73 percent of the boys believed that force was an
acceptable way to get sex under any circumstances.
12. Stranger versus Acquaintance
Rapes
• Community surveys consistently conclude that the better
a victim knows her assailant, the less likely she is to
report the rape to the police. This is often a function of
several factors. The victim of a date rape is less likely to
label the forced sex as “rape” and more likely to blame
herself for trusting the assailant or placing herself in a
vulnerable position with him. Additionally, she is more
likely to fear that her friends and family will blame her,
especially when alcohol was involved. Drugs and alcohol
also are more likely to be involved in acquaintance or
date rapes than stranger rapes. Moreover, there is
usually less need for force and less violence involved, so
fewer physical injuries result, and weapons are less likely
to be used.
13. Stranger versus Acquaintance
Rapes
• Estimates of the likelihood of a woman being raped by a stranger rather
than someone she knows vary greatly from study to study. As ed in a study
of 351 medical patients that 50 percent of men and 24 percent of women
reported being raped by a stranger, of which approximately 1 out of 10 of
these men and 1 out of 4 of these women had reported the rape to the
police.
• The report Rape in America; disclosed similar results, finding that only 22
percent of a national sample of 714 women had been raped by a stranger.
Another report that 15 percent of 1,651 individuals had been sexually
assaulted as adults only 21 percent of these by a stranger and 79 percent
by someone they knew. They also found that reporting was more often done
in stranger rapes. They suggested that the victim blamed herself more and
experienced more shame and humiliation when she was raped by someone
she knew, especially by a partner, and was thus less likely to report the rape
to the police or to seek help. It was found the same trend, with 33 percent of
the victims reporting stranger rape compared with only 13 percent reporting
acquaintance rape, even though 80 percent of the college sample was
raped by an acquaintance.
14. Stranger versus Acquaintance
Rapes
• It has been identified a curvilinear relationship between the use of
weapons and physical injury and the relationship of the woman to
her assailant. They found that the use of weapons and physical
injuries were more common in stranger rapes than
• in rapes by spouses or individuals with whom the women had
intimate relationships. However, spousal rape may be treated
differently than other forms of rape in a jurisdiction's laws. For
example, there may be a shorter reporting period or a requirement
of use of weapons or force to commit the rape.
• In a much smaller college sample, 27 percent of the 401 female
students studied had been raped after age 16. Of these, only 4
percent were raped by a stranger, with the remainder raped by
someone they knew. Only 5 percent had reported to the police or
sought help. In a sample of 489 rape victims, 70 percent of women
who were raped by a stranger reported telling someone about the
rape; compared with only 40 percent of the women raped by
someone they knew.
15. Unfounded” Rapes
• “As with all Crime Index Offenses, reports of forcible
rape are sometimes considered unfounded by law
enforcement and thus are excluded from the crime
count. Interestingly, the rate of “unfounded” cases is
higher for rape than for any other index crime. In 2001,
5.7 percent of forcible rapes were determined by law
enforcement to be unfounded, compared with 1.4
percent of all index crimes (Uniform Crime Reports,
2001). The assumption by some is that all unfounded
cases are false reports, deceitfully reported when no
rape occurred. This is not necessarily the case.
16. Unfounded” Rapes
• Cases can be “unfounded” for a variety of reasons, including an
inability to locate the victim, the victim’s decision not to follow
through with prosecution, apparent inconsistencies in the victim’s
account of the rape, an inability to identify an assailant, and a
variety of other factors that can impede or prevent completion of an
investigation. Unfortunately, not every investigator or prosecutor
distinguishes between a victim “changing her story” and the
legitimate recall of additional data or different aspects of the same
story. When a person recants, it can be difficult to tell whether the
original charge was indeed false or whether the victim has recanted
out of fear of reprisal. The No. 1 reason victims give for not wanting
to report is fear of the assailant, who in 76 percent of the cases left
with the parting words, “If you tell anyone . . . (or report to the
police), I’ll come back and kill you . . . rape you again . . . rape your
child”.
17. Unfounded” Rapes
• Victims who do report can be devastated when their case is determined to
be unfounded. For obvious reasons they feel discounted. It is essential to
help them understand that their case may be determined to be unfounded
simply because of a lack of evidence, not because law enforcement does
not believe they were raped.
• In the 2004 Uniform Crime Reports, the law enforcement response section
focuses on clearance rates. Rape is considered cleared if a suspect is
arrested, if the police identify a suspect but decide not to arrest, or if the
assault is determined to be unfounded. Non-metropolitan counties cleared
45.8 percent, suburban communities cleared 44.3 percent, and the Nation’s
cities cleared 40.1 percent. In 2004, 26,066 people were arrested for
forcible rape. From 2003 to 2004, arrests increased 6.4 percent in non-
metropolitan counties and declined 1.5 percent in the suburban areas and
5.2 percent in cities. The 10-year trend, 1995–2004, indicates a 17.6
percent decrease in arrests for rape nationwide (Uniform Crime Reports,
2004).
18. Myths and Facts About Rape
• Myth: Rape is most often perpetrated by a stranger.
• Fact: A woman is statistically more likely to be raped by
someone she knows.
• Myth: If there was no penetration by a penis, then there
was no rape.
• Fact: Legal definitions of rape vary by state. For the
purposes of this training, rape is defined as penetration
with a penis, fingers and/or foreign objects, or unwanted
touching of the sexual body parts without penetration
19. Myths and Facts About Rape
• Myth: Women cannot be raped by their husbands or
partners.
• Fact: Women are raped by their husbands or partners.
Rape is often used as a tool of control, especially if the
husband batters his wife or feels he is entitled to sexual
intercourse despite his wife’s wants or needs.
• Myth: Prostitutes cannot be raped.
• Fact: Prostitutes can be and often are raped by “johns,”
the customers who solicit sex from them, and by “pimps,”
the men who often are in charge of the prostitute’s
income. Often pimps control women by supplying drugs
or through physical threats or force
20. Myths and Facts About Rape
• Myth: Strangers represent the greatest threat to children.
• Fact: In 90 percent of the rapes of children younger than age, the
child knew the offender (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 1997). Often, a
perpetrator will spend time “grooming” the child and his or her family
by doing favors and providing assistance emotionally and physically.
This is done to win the family’s trust, which makes it harder for them
to believe the child and decreases suspicion of the perpetrator.
• Myth: Only young women are raped.
• Fact: Elderly women can be and are raped. Because of such myths,
elderly women often do not come forward when they are sexually
assaulted. There is a high level of shame and fear that they have
lost the ability to care for themselves. In addition, the perpetrator
could be someone who comes into her home to provide care for the
woman, and she may be afraid for her life or that her care will be
taken away.
21. Myths and Facts About Rape
• Myth: Rape cannot happen in same-gender
relationships.
• Fact: Rape can occur in same-gender
relationships as well as in heterosexual
relationships.
• Myth: Men cannot be raped.
• Fact: Although men are less likely to report
because of societal pressures, men can be and
are raped by other men and by women.
22. Myths and Facts About Rape
• Myth: If a woman drinks with a man,
goes home with him, or wears skimpy
clothing, it is her fault if she is raped.
• Fact: It is never her fault. No one asks
or deserves to be raped. Rape is a
violent attack and a crime in which the
perpetrator controls the victim.
23. Incidence and Prevalence of
Sexual Assault
• Q: How many women report to law
enforcement being forcibly raped in the
United States in a given year?
• A:
24. • Q: For every woman who is raped and
reports her rape to law enforcement, what
is the estimate of the number who are
raped and do not report their rapes to law
enforcement?
• A:
25. • Q: When a victim knows her assailant, is
she more or less likely to report the rape
to the police?
• A:
26. • Q: What is the number one reason victims
give for not wanting to report rape?
• A:
27. • Q: Under what circumstances can law
enforcement determine a rape case to be
“unfounded”?
• A:
28. • Q: When is a rape case generally
considered “cleared” by law enforcement?
• A:
29. • Q: What percentage of rape cases are
cleared?
• A: