Sexual Assault Myths & Facts
Definitions of Rape & Sexual Assault
Sexual assault is unwanted, coerced, manipulated, or forced sexual contact
by any one of the following:
Someone the survivor knows
More than one assailant
Someone the survivor has never met
A
person of the opposite sex
A
person of the same sex
Sexual assault is not about sexual orientation or desire; it is about
power and control. Individuals may be sexually assaulted without
being raped.
Rape can be defined as sex without consent; it is understood as a
crime of aggression because the focus is on hurting and dominating. More
specifically, it is the penetration of any bodily orifice by a penis
or an object without consent. Someone who is asleep, passed out, or incapacitated
by alcohol or drugs cannot give consent. Silence, or lack of continued
resistance, does not mean consent.
Statistics
Among college women, more than 80% report that sexual assault involved someone the survivor knew.
70- 80% of campus rapes involve drugs and alcohol.
According to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN),
Every two and a half minutes , somewhere in America , someone is sexually assaulted.
One in six American women has been the victim of an attempted or completed rape, and 10% of sexual assault victims are men.
In 2003-2004, there were an average annual 204,370 victims of rape, attempted rape or sexual assault.
About 44% of rape victims are under age 18, and 80% are under age 30.
Since 1994, rape/sexual assault has fallen by over 64%.
http://www.rainn.org/statistics/index.html
Myths
Myth: Rape is primarily a sexual crime.
Fact: Rape is a sexual expression of power and control. Sexual assault
leaves survivors with emotional, relational, and often physical, repercussions.
Myth: If a person gets drunk or takes drugs, then it is his/her fault
if he or she is sexually assaulted.
Fact: Intoxication should not be punished by rape. If a person is drunk,
she or he is legally incapable of giving consent for sex. Sex without
consent is rape.
Myth: Men cannot be raped.
Fact: Ten percent of reported rape survivors are men.
Myth: Women lie about being raped to protect their reputations.
Fact: The incidence of false reporting is only 2%, the same as for other
felonies. It is far more likely that rape is under-reported.
