NSVRC • 123 North Enola Drive, Enola, PA 17025 • Toll free: 877-739-3895 • www.nsvrc.org • resources@nsvrc.org
What is Sexual Violence?
Fact Sheet
Sexual violence affects women, men and children throughout their
lives and can be devastating for individuals, families, and communities.
However, help is available. Together, we can change the conditions that
contribute to sexual violence.
What is sexual violence?
Sexual violence means that someone
forces or manipulates someone else into
unwanted sexual activity without their
consent. Reasons someone might not
consent include fear, age, illness, disabil-
ity, and/or inuence of alcohol or other
drugs. Anyone can experience sexual
violence including: children, teens, adults,
and elders. Those who sexually abuse
can be acquaintances, family members,
trusted individuals or strangers.
Forms of sexual violence
y Rape or sexual assault
y Child sexual assault and incest
y Intimate partner sexual assault
y Unwanted sexual contact/touching
y Sexual harassment
y Sexual exploitation
y Showing one’s genitals or naked
body to other(s) without consent
y Masturbating in public
y Watching someone in a private act
without their knowledge or permission
Facts about sexual violence
FACT: Chances are you know someone
who has been sexually assaulted.
y Sexual violence affects people of all
genders, ages, races, religions, incomes,
abilities, professions, ethnicities, and
sexual orientations. However, social
inequalities can heighten the risk.
y By age 18, 1 in 4 girls will be sexu-
ally assaulted; by age 18, 1 in 6 boys
will be assaulted (Finkelhor, Hotaling,
Lewis & Smith, 1990).
y At some time in their lives, 1 in
6 women have experienced an
attempted or completed rape;
more than half occurred before the
woman was 18, and 22% before age
12 (Tjaden & Thoennes, 2000).
y During their lives, 1 in 33 men
have experienced an attempted or
completed rape; 75% occurred before
the men were 18, and 48% before age
12 (Tjaden & Thoennes, 2000).
FACT: Victims usually know their
assaulter.
y People who sexually assault usually
attack someone they know — a friend,
classmate, neighbor, coworker, or
relative.
y Of adults, 73% knew the attacker,
38% were friends of the attacker,
28% were an intimate partner of the
attacker, and 7% were a relative of
the attacker (Maston & Klaus, 2005).
y Child victims knew the offender
before the attack 90% of the time
(Greenfeld, 1996).
y About 40% of sexual assaults
take place in the victim’s own home.
Another 20% occur in the home of a
friend, neighbor, or relative (Greenfeld, 1997).
FACT: Victims are never at fault for a sexual assault.
y It doesn’t matter what someone is wearing or
how they are acting, no one asks to be raped.
y People who sexually assault often use force,
threat, or injury.
y An absence of injuries to the victim does not
indicate the victim consented.
FACT: Rape is the least reported and convicted
violent crime in the U.S.
There are many reasons why victims may choose
not to report to law enforcement or tell anyone
about what happened to him/her. Some include:
y Concern for not being believed
y Fear of the attackers getting back at him/her
y Embarrassment or shame
y Fear of being blamed
y Pressure from others not to tell
y Distrust of law enforcement
y Belief that there is not enough evidence
y Desire to protect the attacker
Many victims who do report a rape or sexual
assault nd that there is no arrest or conviction.
y Probability of arrest after a report is 50.8%
(Reynolds, 1999) and the probability of a rapist
being sent to prison is 16.3% (Reynolds, 1999).
FACT: Sexual violence is preventable.
By working with your community’s sexual assault
center, you can:
y Model supportive relationships and behaviors
with your friends and families
y Stand up for victims and believe them
y Speak up when you hear harmful comments or
witness violent acts
y Create policies at your workplace or school
system to stop sexual violence and help victims
y Coordinate a community event to raise aware-
ness about sexual violence or talk with commu-
nity members about ways they can get involved
y Talk with your legislators and ask them to
support prevention and victim services
FACT: Help is available
y Local sexual assault centers can provide
help. In crisis situations, contact RAINN at
1-800-656-4673. For more information,
visit http://www.nsvrc.org.
References
Finkelhor, D., Hotaling, G., Lewis I.A., & Smith, C. (1990).
Sexual abuse in a national survey of adult men and women:
Prevalence, characteristics, and risk factors.
Child Abuse &
Neglect, 14, 19-28.
Greenfeld, L.A. (1996).
Child Victimizers: Violent offenders
and their victims.
(NCJ 153258). Retrieved from Bureau of
Justice Statistics: http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/pub/pdf/
CVVOATVX.PDF
Greenfeld, L.A. (1997).
Sex offenses and offenders: An
analysis of data on rape and sexual assault
(NCJ 163392).
Washington DC: U.S. Department of Justice.
Maston, C., & Klaus, P. (2005)
Criminal Victimization in the
United States, 2003 statistical tables: National Crime
Victimization Survey
(NCJ 207811). Retrieved from Bureau
of Justice Statistics: http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/pub/
pdf/cvus03.pdf
Reynolds, M.O. (1999).
Crime and punishment in America:
1999
(Report No. 229). Retrieved from National Center for
Policy Analysis: http://www.ncpa.org/pdfs/st229.pdf
Tjaden, P. and Thoeness, N. (2000).
Prevalence, Incidence and
Consequences of Violence Against Women: nding from the
National Violence Against Women Survey.
Retrieved from
http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdfles1/nij/183781.pdf
This document was supported by Cooperative Agreement #1VF1CE001751-01 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
© National Sexual Violence Resource Center 2010. All rights reserved.
