This is something a dear friend of mine put together. She asked me to spread it arround to as many people as I could. Rather than engage in irritating e-mail chain letters, I’m posting this here. It is up to each of you, individually, to decide if it is worthwhile to share and/or do something about.
Gentlemen.
Take a moment and consider the following words. “Sexual Assault/Rape”. You know someone effected. You may not know you do, but you do. It is not the same as having your house robbed, or being mugged. Sexual assault causes shame for the victim. She may fear judgment, she may fear reprisal. Whatever the impetus, she is likely not to tell many, if any. But, you know someone. I know because I don’t know a single woman who does not have a story to tell. Not one. From “something happened to my friend/sister/what have you”, to “something happened to me”. They all have something to say. Just maybe not to you. You’re male. It’s hardest of all to share with you. It’s not your fault, it just is what it is. Or, maybe you have heard, but the shame also got to you. How could this have happened, you’ve somehow failed those you love. So, we all do it. We stuff it all down, maybe get some counseling, and try to get on with our lives. All the while, there’s some other woman getting raped every two minutes in this country. Every…two…minutes. Get out your stop watch.
Here is a link to some of the statistical information I have found. It is the site I trust the most: http://www.rainn.org/statistics.html Some websites may have a slant or bias to them, but the overwhelming preponderence of information agrees, regardless. The numbers, no matter where you look for them, are staggering.
I believe wholeheartedly that, if things are to change appreciably, it is the men in our society who will need to help bring about that change. Most men have an ingrained instinct to protect the women they love…helping to insure that lawmakers take these issues seriously will protect the women they love. They have a desire to fix things when they are broken…insuring that the courts do not re-victimize women, or that longer and more harsh sentences are given for perpetrators of violence against women will help to “fix things” for the women they love. The overwhelming majority of sexual assaults are perpetrated by men. No, not all men are bad or even capable of such (the vast majority of men are not), but the one thing missing in the equation is innocent men taking an active role in confronting the issue alongside women. I don’t necessarily like it, but Men’s voices simply carry more weight in our society still. Until men start speaking out against it, and not hiding in the shadows when it happens to the women/girls they love, or ignoring it altogether when it has not impacted their own, I don’t think we will see great change…only slow change. When a woman is victimized, being front and center in the war on these crimes is difficult at best. But, if our Daddies, Husbands, Brothers, Sons, and men friends are typical males, they want to be able to do something…“fix” things. Well, here’s their chance. Take a stand against violence against women and children. Voice their opinions to legislators. Stand in the gap for the women they love and tell their representatives that they are not going to stand for BS like “128 days in jail” on average for offenders. Laws must be enforced, and the justice system has to do more to not revictimize those women who are brave enough to come forward a second time. Else, it will continue to be one of the least reported crimes on the books, and perpetrators will continue to get off scott free.
Take an active stand in the cause, and you will be helping those you love. Forward this to your male friends, write your representatives, stand by your Sisters, Mothers, Wives, Daughters and female friends when they take up the cause. Be seen supporting them. Advocate stiffer sentences and more just trials. Your voice matters. Especially to the women you love.
Some stats for you (do a google search if you’re curious exactly where they were all gathered).
MURDER . Every day four women die in this country as a result of domestic violence, the euphemism for murders and assaults by husbands and boyfriends. That’s approximately 1,400 women a year, according to the FBI. The number of women who have been murdered by their intimate partners is greater than the number of soldiers killed in the Vietnam War.
BATTERING . Although only 572,000 reports of assault by intimates are officially reported to federal officials each year, the most conservative estimates indicate two to four million women of all races and classes are battered each year. At least 170,000 of those violent incidents are serious enough to require hospitalization, emergency room care or a doctor’s attention.
SEXUAL ASSAULT . Every year approximately 132,000 women report that they have been victims of rape or attempted rape, and more than half of them knew their attackers. It’s estimated that two to six times that many women are raped, but do not report it. Every year 1.2 million women are forcibly raped by their current or former male partners, some more than once.
THE TARGETS . Women are 10 times more likely than men to be victimized.
RAPE FACTS
- Before you finish reading this, another woman will be raped. -
A National Shame
Recent statistics show that rape is still all too prevalent in America.
Somewhere in America, a woman is raped every 2 minutes, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
In 1996, 307,000 women were the victim of rape, attempted rape or sexual assault. [National Crime Victimization Survey. Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice, 1997.]
Between 1995 and 1996, more than 670,000 women were the victim of rape, attempted rape or sexual assault. [National Crime Victimization Survey. Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice, 1997.]
Silent Victims
One of the most startling aspects of sex crimes is how many go unreported. The most common reasons given by women 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 1996, only 31% of rapes and sexual assaults were reported to law enforcement officials - less than one in every three. [National Crime Victimization Survey. Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice, 1997.]
Approximately 68% of rape victims knew their assailant. [Violence against Women. Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Dept. of Justice, 1994]
Approximately 28% of victims are raped by husbands or boyfriends, 35% by acquaintances, and 5% by other relatives. [Violence against Women. Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Dept. of Justice, 1994]
Living In Fear
According to the U.S. Department of Justice:
[All statistics are taken from: Violence against Women, Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Dept. of Justice, 1994.]
One of every four rapes take place in a public area or in a parking garage.
29% of female victims reported that the offender was a stranger.
68% of rapes occur between the hours of 6 p.m. and 6 a.m.
At least 45% of rapists were under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
In 29% of rapes, the offender used a weapon.
In 47% of rapes, the victim sustained injuries other than rape injuries.
75% of female rape victims require medical care after the attack.
Not Just a Family Matter
Family violence and abuse are among the most prevalent forms of interpersonal violence against women and young girls. The sexual abuse of a child should never be “just a family matter,” but many children are afraid to report an incident to the police because the abuser is often a family friend or relative.
In 1995, local child protective 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 ages of 4 and 7. [Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Child Maltreatment, 1995.]
Approximately one-third of all juvenile victims of sexual abuse cases are children younger than 6 years of age. [Violence and the Family. Report of the American Psychological Association Presidential Task Force on Violence and the Family, 1996.]
According to the Justice Department, one in two rape victims is under age 18; one in six is under age 12. [Child Rape Victims, 1992. U.S. Department of Justice.]
Face Of America
About 81% of rape victims are white; 18% are black; 1% are of other races. [Violence against Women, Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Dept. of Justice, 1994.]
While 9 out of 10 rape victims are women, men and boys are also victimized by this crime. In 1995, 32,130 males age 12 and older were victims of rape, attempted rape or sexual assault. [National Crime Victimization Survey. Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice, 1996.]
Teens 16 to 19 were three and one-half times more likely than the general population to be victims of rape, attempted rape or sexual assault. [National Crime Victimization Survey. Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice, 1996.]
Those with a household income under $7,500 were twice as likely as the general population to be victims of a sexual assault. [National Crime Victimization Survey. Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice, 1996.]
1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys will be sexually assaulted by age 18 (Finkelhor, et al., 1990)
28.3% (estimated) of rape/sexual assault victimizations are reported to law enforcement officials (Rennison, 200)
Probability that an arrest will be made when the crime is reported: 1:2. (National Center for Policy Analysis, 1999)
16.3% of those arrested are sentenced to prison with an average sentence of 128 days. (Ibid)
7 in 10 rape and sexual assault victims know their attacker prior to the assault. (Rennison, 2000)
Chances that a woman will develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after being raped are between 50% and 95%. (Population Information Program, 1999)
It is estimated that, annually, 302,091 adult American women and 92,748 adult American men experience a completed or attempted rape. Because some persons suffer multiple rapes, it is estimated that 876,064 rapes of adult American women and 111,298 rapes of adult American men occur annually. (Tjaden and Thoennes, 1998)
Of female Americans who are raped, 54% experience their first rape before age 18. (Ibid)
The cost of all victims of crime is estimated $450 billion per year. Rape is the most costly to its victims, totaling $127 billion annually. (Miller, et al., 1996)
Women with a childhood history of sexual abuse are 4.7 times more likely to be subsequently raped (Merrill et al. 1997)
Of surveyed college women, about 90% of rape and sexual assault victims knew their attacker prior to the assault (Rennison, 2000)
In another survey of college women, 13.3% indicated that they have been forced to have sex in a dating situation (Johnson and Sigler, 2000)
Persons under 18 years of age account for 67% of all sexual assault victimizations reported to law enforcement agencies. Children under 12 years old account for 34% of those cases and children under six years account for 14% of those cases (Snyder, 2000).
1.8 million U.S. Adolescents have been sexually assaulted (Kilpatrick and Saunders).
Of surveyed men who were incarcerated for rape, 40% reported their victims were children, and 80% reported their victims were under 18 years old. (Greenfeld, 1997).
Seven out of 10 offenders with child victims reported that they were imprisoned for a rape or sexual assault (Greenfeld, 1996).
Child-victims of rape know their offended prior to the incident 90% of the time (Ibid, 1996).
Juveniles are responsible for victimizing 40% of the child sexual assault victims under six years of age (Snyder, 2000).
Women with a childhood history of sexual abuse are 4.7 times more likely to be subsequently raped (Merrill, et al, 1997).
Female adolescent abuse survivors are more likely to develop eating disorders - 18% binge and purge, while only 6%% of non-abused adolescent girls do so - and are more likely to use illegal drugs - 30% compared to 13% of teenage girls who were never sexually abused (The Commonwealth Fund, 1997).
Girls who were raped are about three times more likely to suffer from psychiatric disorders and over four times more likely to suffer from drug and alcohol abuse in adulthood (Kendler, et al., 2000).
Teens 16 to 19 years of age were three and a half times more likely than the general population to be victims of rape, attempted rape, or sexual assault (Rennison, 2000).
69% of teen sexual assaults reported to law enforcement occurred in the residence of the victim, the offender, or another individual (Snyder, 20000).
In one year over 4,000 incidents of rape or other types of sexual assault occurred in public schools across the country (U.S. Department of Education, 1997).
24% of sexually active girls younger than 13 years old reported that their first intercourse was non-consensual (Abma, et al., 1998).
A study of 15-17 year old teenage mothers found that in 40% of the cases, the father of babies born to 15 year olds were 5 or more years older (Lindberg, 1997).
Female students who have been physically and/or sexually abused by a dating partner in the 9th through 12th grades are at increased risk for substance use, unhealthy weight control, risky sexual behavior, pregnancy and suicide (Silverman, et al., 2001).
23% of all sexual offenders are under the age of 18 (Snyder, 2000).