Every sixty-eight seconds, the cold, terrifying reality of sexual violence shatters another life in America—a relentless epidemic where one in six women and one in thirty-three men will face attempted or completed rape in their lifetime.
Key Takeaways
- Every 68 seconds, an American is sexually assaulted.
- 1 in 6 American women has been the victim of an attempted or completed rape in her lifetime (14.8% completed, 2.8% attempted).
- About 3% of American men—or 1 in 33—have experienced an attempted or completed rape in their lifetime.
- In a national survey, 91.5% of rape and sexual assault victims were female and 8.5% were male.
- 82% of juvenile victims are female.
- 90% of adult rape victims are female.
- 96% of people who sexually abuse a child are male.
- 93% of juvenile sexual assault victims know their perpetrator.
- 34% of perpetrators are family members.
- Out of every 1,000 rapes, only 384 are reported to police (38.4%).
- About 3 out of 4 rapes are not reported to police.
- Only 28% of reported incidents result in arrest.
- Survivors of sexual assault are 3 times more likely to suffer from depression.
- 30% of women who experience rape develop PTSD.
- 33% of rape victims consider suicide.
Sexual assault is a widespread crisis affecting one in six American women.
Impacts
- Survivors of sexual assault are 3 times more likely to suffer from depression.
- 30% of women who experience rape develop PTSD.
- 33% of rape victims consider suicide.
- Sexual assault increases the risk of gynecological, gastrointestinal, and other health issues.
- Victims are 4 times more likely to suffer from chronic pain.
- Sexual violence costs $127 billion annually in US.
- Sexual assault survivors 2x more likely to smoke.
- 3x more likely to abuse alcohol.
- 26x more likely to abuse drugs.
- 54% of sexual abuse victims depressed.
- 32% attempted suicide.
- 40% have eating disorders.
- PTSD in 33-50% of rape survivors.
- 94% experience PTSD symptoms 1 week post-assault.
- 30% develop chronic PTSD.
- Survivors 4x more likely to contemplate suicide.
- 80% develop substance abuse issues.
- Rape victims 6.4x more likely to suffer major depression.
- 3.4x borderline personality disorder.
- 2.5x PTSD.
- Adverse childhood experiences increase adult rape risk 2-4x.
- Survivors 2x likely to experience homelessness.
- Sexual assault increases HIV risk 30x.
- Victims 2-3x more likely STDs.
- Pregnancy from rape: 5% rate.
Impacts Interpretation
The staggering and deeply interconnected aftermath of sexual assault reveals it is not a single-event crime, but a poison that chronically rewires a survivor's mind, body, and entire life trajectory.
Perpetrators
- 96% of people who sexually abuse a child are male.
- 93% of juvenile sexual assault victims know their perpetrator.
- 34% of perpetrators are family members.
- 59% of assaults on youth are committed by acquaintances.
- 50.5% of female victims of sexual assault are raped by an intimate partner.
- 51.1% of female rape victims were raped by an intimate partner.
- 41% by an acquaintance.
- 94% of child sexual abuse perpetrators known to victim.
- 60% of assaults on children 12-17 by known adult.
- 80% of sexual assaults by family acquaintance or friend.
- 79.6% of male victims by female perpetrators.
- 91.1% of female victims by male perpetrators.
- 90% of campus sexual assaults by acquaintances.
- 99% of campus sexual assaults by men.
- 93% of adolescent boys sexually abused by males.
- 34% of child victims molested by family.
- 90% know abuser.
- 50% assaulted by family member.
- Perpetrators 65% use alcohol.
- 75% of acquitances assaults involve alcohol.
- 52% of child sexual abuse by parent.
- 93% offenders known to child.
- 86% of offenders not Indian.
- 97% of Native women offenders non-Indian.
- 40% of Native women assaulted by stranger.
- 82% of juvenile victims assaulted by relatives.
- 69% of rapes/sexual assaults by relatives, acquaintances, friends.
- 42% of forcible rapes by known assailant.
- 30% of women killed by intimate partners.
- 38% of murders of women by partner.
Perpetrators Interpretation
The chilling truth behind these statistics is that sexual assault is not a crime of shadowy strangers, but a profound betrayal most often committed by men who are trusted, loved, or familiar within the victim's own world.
Prevalence
- Every 68 seconds, an American is sexually assaulted.
- 1 in 6 American women has been the victim of an attempted or completed rape in her lifetime (14.8% completed, 2.8% attempted).
- About 3% of American men—or 1 in 33—have experienced an attempted or completed rape in their lifetime.
- From 2005-2010, there were an average of 207,754 victims (age 12 or older) of rape and sexual assault each year.
- 21% of TGQN (transgender, genderqueer, or non-consenting) students reported being sexually assaulted in college.
- In 2021, RAINN responded to 363,000 crisis calls.
- 1 in 5 women have experienced completed or attempted rape.
- Nearly 1 in 5 women (18.3%) have experienced rape.
- 1 in 71 men (1.4%) have experienced rape.
- 1 in 6 women have experienced stalking victimization.
- Rape/sexual assault victimization rate was 1.2 per 1,000 persons age 12 or older in 2021.
- College women: 1 in 5 assaulted sexually.
- 13% of college women report rape attempt.
- 42% of college rape victims alcohol involved.
- Lifetime rape prevalence 21.3% for women.
- 43.6% women experienced sexual violence other than rape.
- Men: 24.8% experienced sexual violence other than rape.
- 47% of TGQN college students assaulted.
- 13% of women sexually assaulted in military.
- 1 in 4 transgender service members assaulted.
- Child sexual abuse reported in 9% of households.
- 67% of child sex offenses involve fondling.
- 5.4% of state prisoners sexually victimized by staff.
- 4.4% by inmates.
- 70-80% of sexual assaults involve drugs/alcohol.
- 50% of victims black out from alcohol.
- 1 in 10 high school girls forced into sex.
- 9% of high school boys.
- 1 in 5 women worldwide raped or assaulted.
Prevalence Interpretation
Every sixty-eight seconds, another American is sexually assaulted, a relentless national heartbeat of violation that disproportionately targets women, transgender individuals, and the young, revealing a crisis woven deeply into the fabric of our schools, colleges, military, and homes.
Reporting
- Out of every 1,000 rapes, only 384 are reported to police (38.4%).
- About 3 out of 4 rapes are not reported to police.
- Only 28% of reported incidents result in arrest.
- Of those arrested, only 19 lead to a felony conviction.
- Only 6 out of 1,000 result in incarceration.
- 12.5% of incidents reported to police resulted in arrest in 2019.
- Only 31% of sexual assaults reported to law enforcement.
- Less than 5% of rapes on college campuses reported.
- Only 12% of child sexual abuse reported to authorities.
- 38% of survivors never disclose.
- Only 13% of assaults reported on reservations.
- 65% of reported cases no arrest.
- 15,093 forcible rapes reported in 2010.
- 17.7% clearance rate for rapes.
Reporting Interpretation
The grim reality is that a sexual assault is far more likely to be silently endured by a survivor than it is to ever see a day in court, revealing a justice system in desperate need of repair.
Victims
- In a national survey, 91.5% of rape and sexual assault victims were female and 8.5% were male.
- 82% of juvenile victims are female.
- 90% of adult rape victims are female.
- Females ages 16-19 are 4 times more likely than the general population to be victims of rape, attempted rape, or sexual assault.
- 1 out of every 10 rape victims are male.
- Black women are 2.5 times more likely to be raped than white women.
- American Indian/Alaska Native women are 2.2 times more likely.
- Females experienced rape/sexual assault at a rate of 2.1 per 1,000.
- Males at 0.3 per 1,000.
- 70% of sexual assaults occur to girls 16 or younger.
- 37% of female victims raped before age 12.
- 43% raped before age 18.
- Bisexual women 46.0% rape victimization.
- Lesbian women 13.1%.
- 55% of female victims first raped before 12.
- 42.2% of female victims first raped 11-17 years.
- 27.8% first raped 18 or older.
- 50% of transgender people experience sexual assault.
- 64% of transgender people sexually assaulted in lifetime.
- Rape victimization rate highest for ages 16-24.
- 2.7 per 1,000 for 16-19 females.
- 1 in 3 girls sexually abused before 18.
- 1 in 6 boys.
- 1 in 4 girls, 1 in 6 boys victimized by age 18.
- 49% of female inmates raped before prison.
- 35% of men in prison raped as children.
- 1 in 4 girls, 1 in 13 boys experience child sexual abuse.
- 1 in 3 American Indian women raped in lifetime.
- 34% before age 18.
- 1 in 3 Native men experienced sexual violence.
- 90% of homeless women abused as child.
- 1 in 3 homeless men survivors.
- 38% of prostitutes first sexually assaulted as child.
- 73% raped, 63% molested as children.
- 11% girls physically forced into sex.
- 92% of juvenile victims female.
- 12% girls under 20 experience forced sex.
Victims Interpretation
While men are not exempt from this violence, the epidemic of sexual assault in America is a systematic and devastating attack on female bodies, particularly young women and girls, with the burden crushing hardest on Black, Native, and LGBTQ+ individuals.
Sources & References
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- Reference 6TRANSEQUALITYtransequality.orgVisit source
- Reference 7AAUaau.eduVisit source
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- Reference 19JUSTICEjustice.govVisit source
- Reference 20ENDSEXUALVIOLENCEendsexualviolence.orgVisit source
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