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National Statistics about Sexual Assault

National Statistics about Sexual Assault

  • 1 out of every 6 American adult women has been the victim of an attempted or completed rape in her lifetime (14.8% completed rape; 2.8% attempted rape).1
  • About 3% of American adult men — or 1 in 33 — have experienced an attempted or completed rape in their lifetime.1
  • 15% of sexual assault and rape victims are under age 12.2
  • 73% of sexual assaults were perpetrated by a non-stranger. 2
  • 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys are sexually abused before their 18th birthday.
  • 93% of juvenile sexual assault victims know their attacker.3
    • 34.2% of attackers were family members.
    • 58.7% were acquaintances.
    • Only 7% of the perpetrators were strangers to the victim.
    • Nearly 50% of all victims of forcible sodomy, sexual assault with an object, and forcible fondling are children under 12. 5
  • Victims of sexual assault are:4
    • 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
  • Sexual assault is one of the most under reported crimes, with 60% still being left unreported. 6
  • Males are least likely to report a sexual assault, though they make up 10 percent of all victims. 6
  • While about 80% of all victims are white, minorities are somewhat more likely to be attacked. 7

Resources:

  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.

  3. U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Administration for Children and Families. 1995 Child Maltreatment Survey. 1995.

  4. U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics. 2000 Sexual Assault of Young Children as Reported to Law Enforcement. 2000.

  5. Darkness to Light. Statistics Surround Child Sexual Abuse. http://darknesstolight.org/KnowAbout/statistics 2.asp

  6. U.S. Department of Justice. 2005 National Crime Victimization Study. 2005.

  7. RAINN. Breakdown by Gender and Age. http://www.rainn.org/get-information/statistics/sexual-assault-victims