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.)

1. William Harryman, MSC, NCC, MS
Trauma Clinician
Southern Arizona Center Against Sexual Assault

2. Southern Arizona Center
Against Sexual Assault
Our clients:
Anyone who has survived
a sexual trauma:
Incest, molestation,
sexual assault, sexual
harassment, rape,
stalking, and anything
else that might be
considered sexual
trauma
Ages 12 and up
Female and male
NO FEE
24/7/365 Crisis Line:
520-327-1721 / 800-400-1001
TTY/DD/SMS:
520-327-1721; After Hours,
235-3358
Walk-in clients in crisis are seen
between 8 am – noon ,
and between 1 pm – 5 pm

4. Acquaintance Rape is a sex
crime committed by
someone who knows the
victim - a friend, classmate,
relative, co-worker, or
someone you meet in a bar
or at a party.
As a sex crime, acquaintance
rape includes forced,
manipulated, or coerced
sexual contact, including
while drugged or sleeping.

5. Sexual Assault: a spectrum of sexual violence that
includes any sexual contact or activity without consent.
Coercion: any form of pressure employed to overcome
one’s ability to freely give one’s consent.
Sexual Harassment: any unwanted attention or advances
regarding sexual gratification, favors, or other verbal or
physical conduct of sexual nature.
Rape: any penetration (vaginal, anal, oral) with anything
(penis, fingers, objects) done without consent.
Sexual Exploitation: sexual abuse of a person through
the exchange of sex or sexual acts for food, shelter,
protection, other basic necessities of life, and/or money.

6. Consent: a clearly and freely given word or
overt action confirming a willing desire towards
and limited to a specific sexual request or
experience.
Consent cannot be provided by minors, or any
individual who is mentally impaired, including
impairment by intoxication through drugs or
alcohol.
Consent is an affirmative response.
It is NOT a lack of response.

7. Intrusion- Attempt by the offender to violate the
victim's personal space and level of comfort. May draw
close by revealing personal information or through
"accidental" touches and stares.
Desensitization- Occurs when the victim feels
comfortable with the offender and has come to regard
intrusive actions as no longer, or at least less,
threatening. The victim of the desensitization may feel
uneasy but convinces himself or herself that the feeling
is unfounded.
Isolation- The offender uses the victim's trust to isolate
him or her from others.

8. Social norms put pressure on many of us to be polite
and passive.
Relying on these norms, many victims of assaults may
suppress feelings of fear and discomfort in an attempt
not to offend.
Acquaintance assault prevention demands that we set
aside such social norms and listen to our instinctual
sense of fear and discomfort.
Some women do not offer a firm NO in order to not
hurt the man’s feelings. It’s okay, he will survive. You
are not responsible for his feelings, only your safety.

9. 683,000 forcible rapes per year; 56,916 per month;
1,871 per day; 78 per hour; 1.3 per minute

10. 84% of women knew their attacker (date rape)
90% of date rapes occur when either victim or rapist are drinking
33% of men said they would rape if they could not get caught
44% of women who were date-raped have considered suicide
* Stats are from RAINN (Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network)

11. In 2005-2010, 78% of sexual violence involved
an offender who was a family member,
intimate partner, friend, or acquaintance.
90% of rape victims who knew their attacker did
not report the attack to the police.
38% of acquaintance rape victims are 14-17
years old.
The average age of all adolescent and college
victims is 18.5 years.
U.S. Dept. of Justice Crime Statistics

12. 1 out of every 6 American women has
been the victim of an attempted or
completed rape in her lifetime (14.8%
completed rape; 2.8% attempted rape).1
17.7 million American women have
been victims of attempted or completed
rape.1
9 of every 10 rape victims were female
in 2003.2
1. National Institute of Justice & Centers for Disease Control & Prevention.
Prevalence, Incidence and Consequences of Violence Against Women
Survey. 1998.
2. U.S. Department of Justice. 2003 National Crime Victimization Survey.
2003.

13. Lifetime rate of rape /attempted rape for
women by race:
All women: 17.6%
White women: 17.7%
Black women: 18.8%
Asian Pacific Islander women: 6.8%
American Indian/Alaskan women: 34.1%
Mixed race women: 24.4%
National Institute of Justice & Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. Prevalence,
Incidence and Consequences of Violence Against Women Survey. 1998.

14. 15% of sexual assault and rape victims are under age 12.
29% are age 12-17.
44% are under age 18.
80% are under age 30.
Ages 12-34 are the highest risk years.
Girls ages 16-19 are 4 times more likely than the general
population to be victims of rape, attempted rape, or sexual
assault.
7% of girls in grades 5-8 and 12% of girls in grades 9-12 said
they had been sexually abused.
3% of boys grades 5-8 and 5% of boys in grades 9-12 said
they had been sexually abused.

15. In 1995, local child protection service agencies identified
126,000 children who were victims of either
substantiated or indicated sexual abuse.
Of these, 75% were girls.
Nearly 30% of child victims were between the age of 4 and 7.
93% of juvenile sexual assault victims know their attacker.
34.2% of attackers were family members.
58.7% were acquaintances.
Only 7% of the perpetrators were strangers to
the victim.
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Administration for Children and Families. 1995
Child Maltreatment Survey. 1995.
U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics. 2000 Sexual Assault of Young Children as Reported to Law
Enforcement. 2000.

16. One in five adult women (363,000 in 2003) have been
victims of one or more forcible rapes1 in their lifetime
(Ruggiero & Kilpatrick, 2003)
1 That statistic only includes vaginal penetration of a
woman against her will, not any other form of sexual
assault.
In 2011, AZ youth in 9th-12th grades: 13% of girls and
7% of boys report experiencing forced intercourse2.
In 2011, AZ youth 9th-12th grades: 12% of girls and 11%
of boys answered YES to, “During the past 12 months,
did your boy/girlfriend ever hit, slap, or physically hurt
you on purpose?” 2
1, 2 Arizona Dept. of Education (2012). 2011 AZ Youth Risk Behavior
Survey Trend Report.

18. Myth
A woman who gets raped usually
deserves it, especially if she has
agreed to go to a man's house or park
with him.
If a woman agrees to allow a man to
pay for dinner, drinks, etc., then it
means she owes him sex.
Acquaintance rape is committed by
men who are easy to identify as
rapists.
Women who don't fight back haven't
been raped.
Reality
No one deserves to be raped. Being in
a man's house or car does not mean
that a woman has agreed to have sex
with him.
Sex is not an implied payback for
dinner or other expense no matter how
much money has been spent.
Women are often raped by "normal"
acquaintances who resemble "regular
guys."
Rape occurs when one is forced to have
sex against their will, whether they
have decided to fight back or not.

19. Myth
• Intimate kissing or touching means
that intercourse is inevitable.
• Once a man reaches a certain point
of arousal, sex is inevitable and they
can't help forcing themselves upon
a woman.
• Most women lie about
acquaintance rape because they
have regrets after consensual sex.
• Women who say "No" really mean
"Yes."
• Certain behaviors such as drinking
or dressing in a sexually appealing
way make rape a woman's
responsibility.
Reality
• Everyone's right to say "no" should
be honored, regardless of the activity
which preceded it.
• Men are fully capable of exercising
restraint in acting upon sexual urges.
• Acquaintance rape really happens - to
people you know, by people you
know.
• This notion is based on rigid and
outdated sexual stereotypes.
• Drinking or dressing in a sexually
appealing way are not invitations for
sex.

20. MYTH: A woman who gets raped usually deserves it,
especially if she has agreed to go to a man's house or
park with him, if she is dressed provocatively, if she is
drunk, high, or passed out, or if she was flirting, kissing,
or initiating sexual contact.
REALITY: No one deserves to be raped. Being in a
man's house or car does not mean that a woman has
agreed to have sex with him. Being dressed
“provocatively” is not consent, nor is drunkenness,
being high, or being passed out. Flirting, kissing, and
sexual play are not forms of consent.
The only consent is “YES.”
Otherwise, No means NO, not maybe and certainly
not yes.

22. Acquaintance rape victims suffer the same
psychological harms as stranger-rape victims:
Shock
Shame/humiliation
Anxiety
Depression
Substance abuse
Suicidal thoughts
Loss of self-esteem
Social isolation
Anger
Distrust of others
Fear of AIDS
Guilt
Sexual dysfunction
Helplessness

23. Victims of sexual assault are:
3 times more likely to suffer from depression.
6 times more likely to suffer from post-traumatic
stress disorder.
13 times more likely to abuse alcohol.
26 times more likely to abuse drugs.
4 times more likely to contemplate suicide.
For women, sexual assault is the leading cause of
PTSD
World Health Organization. 2002.

24. 97 percent informed at least one close
confidant but only 28 percent informed police
(Wiehe & Richards, 1995)
Only 20 percent decided to prosecute.
Koss (1988) reports that only two percent of
acquaintance rape survivors report their
experiences to the police.
This compared with the 21 percent who reported rape by a
stranger to the police.
• Wiehe, V.R. & Richards, A.L. (1995). Intimate betrayal: Understanding and responding to the
trauma of acquaintance rape. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
• Koss, M.P. (1988). Hidden rape: Sexual aggression and victimization in the national sample of
students in higher education. In M.A. Pirog-Good & J.E. Stets (Eds.)., Violence in dating
relationships: Emerging social issues (pp. 145168). New York, NY: Praeger.

25. 1. Justice Department,
National Crime
Victimization Survey:
2008-2012
2. FBI, Uniform Crime
Reports: 2006-2010
3. National Center for
Policy Analysis, Crime
and Punishment in
America, 1999
4. Department of Justice,
Felony Defendents in
Large Urban Counties:
average of 2002-2006
5. Department of Justice,
Felony Defendents in
Large Urban Counties:
average of 2002-2006

27. When should you get involved? Whenever
someone could get hurt if the behavior
continues.
BUT, bystander intervention only works if you
stay safe. These are suggestions to assess the
situation.
1. Identify the problem
2. Decide if the situation could get more dangerous
3. Decide if you can say or do something without
becoming a target yourself
4. Choose your action (see the following list)

28. If you assess the situation may be too
dangerous for you or the victim, call 911.
Otherwise:
Take your friend home from the party if they
are too intoxicated or seem to be acting more
drugged than reasonable for their consumption.
Keep friends who are drunk or high from going
off on their own to secluded places (outdoors,
bedrooms, cars) with another person(s).
Intervene – see the following list.

29. 1. “I” statements
Three parts:
1. Name the behavior
2. State your feelings
3. State how you want the person to respond. This
focuses on your feelings rather than criticizing the
other person.
2. Silent Stare
Not all communication is verbal
A disapproving look can say far more than words

30. 3. Humor
Reduces the tension
Funny doesn’t mean unimportant – do not
undermine your intervention
4. Group Intervention (BEST option)
Safety and power in numbers (3 or more is best)
Indicated when someone has a pattern of
inappropriate behavior
Present examples of the behavior as evidence of a
problem

31. 5. Bring it Home – Make it Personal
Prevents him from distancing himself from the impact
of his actions
Prevents him from dehumanizing his targets
6. We’re friends, right….?
Reframes the intervention as caring and non-critical
Example: “Hey Jim, as your friend I need to tell you that
getting a girl drunk to have sex with her isn’t cool. Come on,
let’s go downstairs so she can sleep it off.”

32. 7. Distraction
Most effective for street harassment
Snaps someone out of their “sexist comfort zone”
Example: Ask a man harassing a woman on the street for
directions or the time.
Allows a potential target to move away and/or to
have other friends intervene
Example: Spill your drink on the person or interrupt and
start a conversation with the person.
These suggestions come from “Stop Abuse at Virginia Tech”

33. Believe someone who discloses a sexual trauma
Be respectful of yourself and others
Watch out for your friends – If someone seems
in trouble, check on them. ALSO, call out friends
acting inappropriately or offensively.
Speak up –Don’t laugh at racist, sexist,
homophobic jokes. Express your distaste.
Get involved – Become a peer educator or
volunteer.
If you’d like to volunteer at SACASA, see me after the presentation – we have a
new advocate training beginning in June.

34. We Have it All Backwards

35. 33% of men said they would rape
if they couldn’t get caught

36. We teach women how not to get raped
We don’t teach men NOT to rape

37. We are implicitly teaching girls and women that men
are not safe, but MOST men are safe
We are implicitly teaching men that they are
predators and have no control over their desire
We cannot stop date and acquaintance rape by
teaching girls and women to be afraid
But we CAN stop date and acquaintance rape by
teaching boys and men three things:
Respect all women as you would want to be
respected (or how you’d want your mother/sister
respected)
NO MEANS NO!
Being unconscious is NOT consent

39. Rape is NOT a joke | Rape is NOT funny
Rape is a SERIOUS and VIOLENT crime
Rape is NOT acceptable and will NOT be tolerated
It is NEVER the victim’s fault . . . EVER!

41. Las Familias, children (and adult survivors) involved
in intra-familial sexual trauma. 327-7122
SACASA, men and women, 12 and up, no fee, no
insurance required. 24-hr Sexual Assault Crisis
Lines: (520) 327-7273 or (800) 400-1001
Emerge!, domestic violence shelter, education,
support groups. 795-8001; Crisis Line 888-428-
0101
Tucson Medical Center, Phone: 327-5461, TMC
partnered with SACASA to create a dedicated room
strictly for forensic exams of rape survivors.