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Silent Victims One of the most startling aspects of sex crimes is how many go unreported. The most common reasons given by women for not reporting these crimes are the belief that it is a private or personal matter and that they fear reprisal from the assailant. In 1996, only 31% of rapes and sexual assaults were reported to law enforcement officials - less than one in every three. [National Crime Victimization Survey. Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice, 1997.] Approximately 68% of rape victims knew their assailant. [Violence against Women. Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Dept. of Justice, 1994] Approximately 28% of victims are raped by husbands or boyfriends, 35% by acquaintances, and 5% by other relatives. [Violence against Women. Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Dept. of Justice, 1994] 0% of all family violence defendants are never prosecuted, and one-third of the cases that would be considered felonies if committed by strangers are filed as misdemeanors (a lesser crime). (News from U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer, September 2, 1993) If all occurring domestic violence were reported to the police by women, one-third of the incidents would be classified as felony rapes, robberies, or aggravated assaults and the remaining two-thirds would be classified as simple assaults. (National Institute of Justice, U.S. Department of Justice, 1990) One out of every four men, one will use violence against a partner at some time in their relationship. (Violent No More, Michael Paymar, 1993, Hunter House) Police were more likely to respond within 5 minutes if the offender was a stranger than if an offender was known to the female victim. (Ronet Bachman Ph.D., U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Statistics, "Violence Against Women: A National Crime Victimization Survey Report," January 1994, p. 9) Not Just a Family Matter OVER 80% OF ALL RAPES ARE COMMITTED BY SOMEONE KNOWN BY THE VICTIM (BOYFRIEND,HUSBAND,FRIENDS,CO-WORKERS,RELATIVES ETC.) Family violence and abuse are among the most prevalent forms of interpersonal violence against women and young children - both boys and girls. The sexual abuse of a child should never be "just a family matter," but many children are afraid to report an incident to the police because the abuser is often a family friend or relative. In 1995, local child protective service agencies identified 126,000 children who were victims of either substantiated or indicated sexual abuse; of these, 75% were girls. Nearly 30% of child victims were between the ages of 4 and 7. [Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Child Maltreatment, 1995.] Approximately one-third of all juvenile victims of sexual abuse cases are children younger than 6 years of age. [Violence and the Family. Report of the American Psychological Association Presidential Task Force on Violence and the Family, 1996.] According to the Justice Department, one in two rape victims is under age 18; one in six is under age 12. [Child Rape Victims, 1992. U.S. Department of Justice.] 1 in 3 women will be the victim of rape at some point in her life (ATTEMPTED/COMPLETED) The risk of rape is 4x higher is a woman is between the ages of 16 and 24 More rapes occur at home, than anywhere else including on the street, parking lots, or in office buildings (BUREAU OF JUSTICE STATISTICS) The largest percentage of rape offenders are white men in their 20's Face Of America About 81% of rape victims are white; 18% are black; 1% are of other races. [Violence against Women, Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Dept. of Justice, 1994.] While 9 out of 10 rape victims are women, men and boys are also victimized by this crime. In 1995, 32,130 males age 12 and older were victims of rape, attempted rape or sexual assault. [National Crime Victimization Survey. Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice, 1996.] Teens 16 to 19 were three and one-half times more likely than the general population to be victims of rape, attempted rape or sexual assault. [National Crime Victimization Survey. Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice, 1996.] Those with a household income under $7,500 were twice as likely as the general population to be victims of a sexual assault. [National Crime Victimization Survey. Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice, 1996.] HOW THEY RESISTED VICTIMS OF RAPE OR ATTEMPTED RAPE WHO USED ONE OR MORE FORMS OF RESISTANCE 82.6% 20.8%
PHYSICALLY RESISTED OFFENDER HOW RESISTANCE HELPED ONLY 18.9% OF WOMEN WHO RESISTED SAID THAT IS WORSENED THE SITUATION . OF THOSE WHO WERE HELPED BY RESISTING: 39,9%
AVOIDED INJURY OR GREATER INJURY PERCENTAGE OF RAPES THAT OCCUR AT
HOME/COLLEGE DORMITORIES * 35% *
INCLUDES MARITAL, ACQUAINTANCE, OR STRANGER RAPES One of every four rapes take place in a public area
or in a parking garage.
IN ALMOST ALL CASES, STRANGERS RAPE A VICTIM ONCE ACQUAINTANCES OFTEN RAPE THE SAME VICTIM TWO OR MORE TIMES One out of every four college women polled was sexually assaulted during four years at college. Between 1994 and 1997, (14 years), over 2.8 million women reported sexual assaults in the United States. 78% of these victims avoided being raped by taking self-protective measures. In 1989, rape victims took self-protective measures in 86% of the cases. When we defend Women charged in the death of a mate have the least extensive criminal records of any people convicted. However, they often face higher penalties than men who kill their mates. FBI statistics indicate that fewer men are charged with first- or second-degree murder for killing a woman they have known than are women who kill a man they have known. Women convicted of these killings are frequently sentenced to longer prison terms than are men. (Angela Browne, When Battered Women Kill, New York, NY: The Free Press, 1987, p. 11) The extremely long sentences women serve raises serious questions about the fairness of our criminal justice system. women testifying before the Committee on Domestic Violence and Incarcerated Women averaged sentences of 15 years. (Battered Women and Criminal Justice: The Unjust Treatment of Battered Women in a System Controlled By Men, A Report of the Committee on Domestic violence and Incarcerated Women, June 1987, pp. 3-4) Somewhere in America, a woman is raped every 2
minutes, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Between 1995 and 1996, more than 670,000 women were the victim of rape, attempted rape or sexual assault. [National Crime Victimization Survey. Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice, 1997.] Progress The incidence of rape, attempted rape and sexual assault declined by more than 17% between 1995 and 1996. More and more survivors are speaking out publicly, helping to lessen
the stigma long associated with rape victims. [All statistics are taken from: Violence against Women, Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Dept. of Justice, 1994.] |