Sexual Assault Statistics

Sexual Assault Statistics

  One in six men will experience a sexual assault in his lifetime.

    1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys will be sexually assaulted by age 18

    Around the world, at least one in every three women has been beaten, coerced into sex or otherwise abused during her lifetime.

    Women of all races are about equally vulnerable to violence by an intimate.

    Nearly one-fifth of women (18 percent) reported experiencing a completed or attempted rape at some time in their lives; one in 33 men (three percent) reported experiencing a completed or attempted rape at some time in their lives.

    One out of every three women will be raped in her lifetime.

    Rapes/sexual assaults committed by strangers are more likely to be reported to the police than rapes/sexual assaults committed by “non-strangers,” including intimate partners, other relatives and friends or acquaintances.

    The overall probability that a rapist will be sent to prison for his crime: 16.3%.

    The average sentence: 128 days.

    Of surveyed college women, about 90% of rape and sexual assault victims knew their attacker prior to the assault

    In 8 out of 10 rape cases, the victim knew the perpetrator

    84% of women who are raped know their assailant.

    Approximately 73% of rape victims know their assailant

    Women with a childhood history of sexual abuse are 4.7 times more likely to be subsequently raped

    An estimated 91% of rape and sexual assault victims were female, and nearly 99% of the offenders were male.

    About 90% of campus rapes are alcohol related

    Alcohol may act for the assailant as a disinhibitor, as an excuse following the assault, or as a strategy to reduce victim resistance. At least 45% of rapists were under the influence of alcohol or drugs at the time of the assault.

    In the National Violence Against Women Survey, 64% of women and 16% of men reported being raped, physically assaulted, or stalked by an intimate partner. This includes a current or former spouse, cohabitating partner, boyfriend/girlfriend, or date

    A study conducted in the United States found that women raped before the age of 18 were twice as likely to be raped as adults, compared to those without a history of sexual abuse

    52% of gay men and lesbians reported at least one incident of coercion by a same-sex partner.

    Same-sex abusers use a form of abuse similar to those of heterosexual batterers, but they also have an additional weapon in the threat of "outing" their partner to family, friends, employers, or community.

    Sexual violence victims exhibit a variety of psychological symptoms that are similar to those of victims of other types of trauma, such as war and natural disaster (National Research Council 1996). A number of long-lasting symptoms and illnesses have been associated with sexual victimization including chronic pelvic pain; premenstrual syndrome; gastrointestinal disorders; and a variety of chronic pain disorders, including headache, back pain, and facial pain (Koss 1992).

    Between 4% and 30% of rape victims contract sexually transmitted diseases as a result of the victimization (Resnick 1997).

About Victims

    44% of victims are under age 18
    80% are under age 30

    Every 2 minutes, someone in the U.S. is sexually assaulted

    In 2007, there were 248,300 victims of sexual assault

Reporting to Police

    60% of sexual assaults are not reported to the police

    15 of 16 rapists will never spend a day in jail

About Rapists

    Approximately 2/3 of assaults are committed by someone known to the victim

    38% of rapists are a friend or acquaintance