Who Are the Survivors?
Sexual assault survivors are our friends, co-workers, neighbors, students, teachers, law enforcement officers, soldiers, medical professionals, families—our mothers, fathers, grandparents, brothers, sisters, children. Unfortunately, anyone can be a victim of sexual assault.
While determining exact numbers of sexual assault crimes is a continuing challenge, crime reports, state and national victimization surveys and services provided by rape crisis centers and medical facilities do give an estimate of the number of people who have experienced sexual violence. Statistics vary based on crime definition, type of report or survey, age and sex of victims as well as other factors; however, they do provide a glimpse into the magnitude of sexual violence and its impact on Texans.
- Almost 13 percent of Texans have been sexually assaulted. That equates to nearly 2 million people, or 1 in 5 women and 1 in 20 men. [i]
- In the United States, 1 in 6 women and 1 in 33 men reported experiencing an attempted or completed rape at some time in their lives.[ii]
Most sexual assaults are never reported to law enforcement. In “Rape in the United States: The Chronic Failure to Report and Investigate Rape Cases,” Dr. Dean Kilpatrick estimates that after more than 30 years of education and increasing awareness about sexual assault, over 80% of cases are still not reported.[iii] Many victims tell no one about the assault until long after it occurred, and some wait years, if they ever speak of it at all. Some hesitate to tell friends, family or the police because they are afraid they will not be believed, or they may fear greater danger from the person(s) who assaulted them if they tell anyone.
Females are the most frequent victims of sexual assault; however, men and boys are victims of sexual violence much more often than is realized. Though females of any age are at risk, women in college are particularly vulnerable: 20% to 25% of women in college reported experiencing an attempted or a completed rape.[iv] Similarly, it is also true that males of any age can be victims of sexual assault, but they are victimized most frequently before age 18.
- 60.4% of female and 69.2% of male victims were first raped before age 18.
- 25.5% of females were first raped before age 12, and 34.9% were first raped between the ages of 12-17.
- 41.0% of males were first raped before age 12, and 27.9% were first raped between the ages of 12-17.[v]
Sexual violence literally occurs across the life span. Young children are victims of sexual assault as are the elderly. In one study of victims over the age of 60 the mean age was 78.8 years with victimization across four decades.
The majority of the victims were female (93.2%) and 6.8% were male. Age did not prevent an offender from perpetrating a sexual act on an elder. Age of offenders of these elder victims ranged from 13 to 90 years.[vi]
Whether you are a male or female survivor of sexual assault, whether you were victimized as a child or as an adult, whether or not you have previously told someone about your victimization, if you are one of the many adults who were sexually abused as a child and did not know that help is available, there are many who are ready to listen and support you in the choices you decide are best for you.
Tell a trusted friend or family member. Contact a local rape crisis center.
[i] University of Texas-Austin Institute on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault. “A Health Survey of Texans: A Focus on Sexual Assault, http://www.utexas.edu/ssw/dl/files/cswr/institutes/idvsa/publications/study.pdf, 2003.
[ii] US Department of Justice. “Extent, nature, and consequences of intimate partner violence: findings from the National Violence Against Women Survey,” www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij/pubs-sum/181867.htm, 2000.
[iii] Senate Judiciary Subcommittee Hearing on Crime and Drugs. “Rape in the United States: The Chronic Failure to Report and Investigate Rape Cases,” http://judiciary.senate.gov/pdf/10-09-14KilpatrickTestimony.pdf, 2010.
[iv] National Institute of Justice. “The Sexual Victimization of College Women,” http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/182369.pdf, 2000.
[v] Basile KC, Chen J, Lynberg MC, Saltzman LE. “Prevalence and Characteristics of Sexual Violence Victimization,”2007. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_7764/is_200707/ai_n32234750/
[vi] Burgess Ann W. “Elderly Victims of Sexual Abuse and Their Offenders,” 2006. http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/216550.pdf