Here's an amazing video I found - watch it, it's only a minute. It focuses on all violence against women, but it's very powerful.
I'm going to focus here on sexual violence against women in the United States specifically. I got all of this info from the University of Minnesota's online resources on violence against women, a seriously great resource on this stuff if you're interested or want to find out more.
Here's a few basic terms:
Sexual Assault - any unwanted sexual touching, whether above and underneath clothing
Sexual Abuse - sexual assault, but referring to a series of repeated acts
Sexual Harassment - any unwelcome sexual advances, request for sexual favors, inappropriate sexual comments, or hostile environment
Rape - "an event that occurred without the victim's consent that involved the use or threat of force in vaginal, anal, or oral intercourse" (National Violence Against Women Survey)
And here's the statistics from 2006 (I know they're a little outdated, but it's the best and most comprehensive set that I could find!):
- In 2006 260,940 acts of rape, attempted rape, and sexual assault were counted. (NCVS)
- 10.7% were male and 89.3% were female. (NCVS)
- Of these, 38% of the perpetrators were strangers, while 62% were someone the victim knew. (NCVS)
- 17.6% of women and 3% of men reported being raped at some point in their lives. (NVAWS)
- 16.7% of female victims and 22.8% of male victims were raped by strangers. (NVAWS)
- Only 1 in 5 women in the study reported her rape to the police. (NVAWS)
- Women between 16 and 24 experience rape four times higher than the rate for all women. (CDC)
(All statistics from the 2006 National Crime Victimization Survey [NCVS] and National Violence Against Women Survey [NVAWS], and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC]).
There's a few really important things to take note of here:
- Even though men and women both experience sexual violence, women experience it at a much higher rate than men. Of course, that women are usually more likely to report acts of sexual violence against them than men, but it's a startling statistic nonetheless.
- Only 1 in 5 women reported their rape to the police. If women are so unlikely to report their rape or sexual violence to the police, imagine the amount of other women out there who don't report it at all. It's a seriously scary thing to think about.
- Most of these acts are performed by someone the victim knows, rather than a complete stranger. If that's not a really messed up way to take advantage of someone, I don't know what is.
- Lastly, the experience of rape rate is four times higher for women between the ages of 16 and 24 than it is for women overall. That means that it happens WAY more in this age group than any other. Think of where many women are during this point in their lives...college. I know that I was definitely taken aback when I read that statistic.
Bottom line: sexual violence is not okay, and it can really affect anyone - the statistics show that. Also, the fact that 16-24 year-old women are much more likely to face an act of sexual violence is troubling. Last month Vice President Joe Biden introduced his new sexual assault awareness campaign, which he intends to implement not only at colleges but at all the education levels. He's actually done a lot on this subject, including helping to create the Violence Against Women Act in 1994.
The most important thing, of course (and I know I keep on saying this but it's so important), is awareness and education. So, the next time you're with some of your friends - drop a statistic, gauge their reactions.
Also, if you or someone you know is a victim of sexual violence and wants to get their hands on some resources, I recommend again the University of Minnesota's Violence Against Women site. It has or has links to all of the information you could possibly need.
