STATS and FACTS

Rape and sexual assault impact many people. 

• 1 in 4 women and 1 in 6 men will experience a sexual assault in their lifetime (National Institute of Justice (NIJ), 2000).
• Based on the total number of rapes and sexual assaults in the U.S. in 2005, the rate of adolescent and adult sexual assault in Massachusetts alone is 4,418 per year, 12 per day, and 1 per every 2 hours (Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey, September 2006 & U.S. Bureau of the Census, MA & US Population Projections, 2006).

Women and young people are targeted more often.

• 9 in 10 rape survivors are female and 1 in 10 rape survivors is male (US Department of Justice, National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS), 2003).
• Females ages 16-19 are 4 times more likely to be the victims of sexual assault or rape than the general population (NCVS, 2000).

Attackers target people they know.  

• 75% of all survivors know their attackers; 80% of all rapes occur in the home (NIJ, 2002).
• 90% of rape survivors on college campuses know their attackers; over 90% of rapes occur in a residence (NIJ, 2002).
• 93% of juvenile sexual assault survivors know their attackers (Bureau of Justice Statistics, Sex Offenders and Offenders, US Department of Justice, 2000).
• Most female survivors were raped by a current or former partner (43%) or an acquaintance (27%) (NIJ, Special Report, “Findings from the Violence Against Women Survey,” 2006; Ibid, 2006).
• 50% of male survivors were raped by an acquaintance (Ibid, 2006).

Patterns of Rapists.

• 99% of female and 85% of male survivors were raped by a male (NIJ, Special Report, Findings from the Violence Against Women Survey, 2006). 
• While most rapists are male, most males are not rapists.
• Most “undetected” rapists (those who have not been convicted or served time in jail) are repeat rapists who commit an average of 6 rapes each (Lisak, David, The Undetected Rapist, 2002).
• Instead of using weapons, threats, or extreme physical force or violence, most undetected rapists premeditate their attacks, identify and isolate victims, and deliberately use only as much force as necessary, such as psychological weapons and alcohol, to make victims vulnerable (Tjaden & Thoennes, Findings from the National Violence Against Women Survey, NIJ Special Report, January 2006 (Lisak, David, The Undetected Rapist, 2002).

Rape and sexual assault are significantly underreported.

• 85% of rape survivors do not report the attack to criminal justice authorities (Lisak, David, The Undetected Rapist, 2002).
• Since most survivors know their attackers and since most attackers use manipulation, survivors may feel confused about their experience and they may feel less willing to report or share their experience.

Why we believe and care.

• 95% of sexual assaults were determined to be substantiated with sound evidence (FBI, 2003).
• Rape costs a survivor on average $87,000 per year (Tjaden & Thoennes, National Institute of Justice, 1998). This includes lost productivity due to medical and mental health needs, loss of employment, loss of housing, as well as therapy costs and medical treatment.
• Rape is not miscommunication.
• Most survivors report that they used protective action against an attacker, either through physical force or by asking the perpetrator to stop (NIJ, 2000). 
• Most rapists are repeat rapists who are doing whatever they can to complete the rape.  Survivors are doing whatever they can to protect themselves and to survive.

Click here to download BARCC’s handbook for survivors and their families.