Sexual Violence

(Report and statistics compiled by the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape)

Sexual violence violates a person's trust and feeling of safety.  It occurs anytime a person is forced, coerced, and/or manipulated into unwanted sexual activity.  The continuum of sexual violence includes rape, incest, child sexual assault, ritual abuse, date and acquaintance rape, statutory rape, marital or partner rape, sexual exploitation, unwanted sexual contact, sexual harassment, exposure, and voyeurism.

Rape is a crime. It is motivated by a desire to control, humiliate, and harm.  Rapists use sex as a weapon to dominate others.

Who is at risk for sexual violence?  Sexual violence can happen to anyone - regardless of gender, race, age, socio-economic status, or religion.  Sexual violence can occur at any time and be perpetrated by anybody.  It is a common misconception that most sexual assaults are committed by strangers.  You are more likely to be sexually assaulted by someone you know - a friend, date, classmate, neighbor, relative, co-worker - than by a stranger in a dark alley.

Since most children seek approval from adults, they are vulnerable to abuse.  The use of physical force is rarely necessary to draw a child into sexual activity.  Offenders know this and  take advantage of children in this way, often grooming them for sexual assault.  The grooming process includes building trust, bestowing favors, alienating others, demanding secrecy, and violating boundaries.

FACT SHEET

• It is estimated that 302,091 adult American women and 92,748 adult American men experience a completed or attempted rape(s) each year.  Only 28.3% of rape/sexual assault victimizations are reported to police (Rennison, 2000).
• Of female Americans who are raped, 54% experience their first rape before the age of 18 (Ibid).
• Nearly seven in ten rape and sexual assault victims knew their attackers prior to the assaults (Rennison, 2000).
• In fiscal year 2001-2002, sexual assault centers in PA served 37,269 persons: 10,281 child victims, 13,514 adult victims, 13,474 parents, partners, etc.
• Of the above figures, overall, 82.8% of the clients were female.  Of the child victims, 12-to-17-years-olds accounted for 55.7%; 6-to-11-year-olds made up 30.6%; and children aged 5 and under were 13.7% of the total child clientele (PCAR Annual Service Statistical report, 2001-02).
• Persons under 18 years of age account for 67% of all sexual assault vicimizations reported to law enforcement agencies.  Children under 12 years old account for 34% of those cases, and children under six years old account for 14% of those cases (Snyder, 2000).
• 1.8 million U.S. adolescents have been sexually assaulted (Kilpatrick and Saunders, 1997).