Sexual Assault Statistics

Sexual abuse - refers to any action that pressures someone to do something sexually they don't want to do this can range from for-play to actually sexual contact.

The Office On Violence Against Women defines sexual assault as “any type of sexual contact or

Sexual assault can be easily defined in the SHARP Handbook as “Intentional sexual contact characterized by use of force, threats, intimidation, or abuse of authority or when the victim does not or cannot consent. Sexual assault includes rape, forcible sodomy (oral or anal sex), and other unwanted sexual contact that is aggravated, abusive, or wrongful (including unwanted and inappropriate sexual contact), or attempts to commit these acts.” (Glossary, DoDD 6495.01, 23 Jan 12] ) While it may be easy to define it is not always so easy to detect or prevent.

While according to endsexualviolence.org, one in four women will be sexually assaulted in their lifetime.

Sexual abuse is sexual activity that is deemed improper or harmful, as between an adult and a minor or with a person of diminished mental capacity.

Sexual abuse usually refers to any sexual activity that is unwanted and is inflicted by physical force or other methods of coercion such as threats or intimidation.

Sexual Assault described in technical terms is defined as any sort of sexual activity between two or more people in which one of the people involved is involved against his or her will. (3) The description of "against his or her will" extends to varying degrees of aggression, ranging from indirect pressure to a direct physical attack. While sexual assaults are associated with the crime of rape, it may cover assaults which would not be considered rape. What constitutes a sexual assault is determined by the laws of the jurisdiction where the assault takes place, which vary considerably, and are influenced by local social and cultural attitudes. Every year, an estimated 300,000 women are raped and 3.7 million are confronted with unwanted

Approximately 20 to 25 percent of women are sexually assaulted within the duration of their college careers; this rate is also three times higher than

Women tend to be the overwhelming victims of sexual assault and rape while men tend to be the perpetrators. According to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC), one in five women and one in seventy-one men will be raped at some point in their lives. Unfortunately, the overwhelming majority of victims are women who have been victimized by men. There are two major forms of sexual assault, which includes non-consensual forced physical sexual behavior such as rape or sexual assault. The second type of assault is the Psychological form of abuse, such as sexual harassment, stalking, human trafficking, and indecent exposure and the targets of exhibitionism, especially children.

The definition of sexual assault, per the American Psychological Association, is “unwanted sexual activity, with perpetrators using force, making threats or taking advantage of victims not able to give consent.” (Encyclopedia of Psychology, 2016) Sexual assault is used as an attempt to gain power over victims, instead of sexual gratification. Sexual Assault can and has happened in many different types of

The Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network state that every two minutes, someone is sexually assaulted in the United States. In 2007 there were 248,300 victims of sexual assault (US department of Justice).

Sexual assault is a term used to define a broad category of sexual experiences ranging from criminal to noncriminal acts, with a common denominator of nonconsensual sexual contact. Across research, sexual assault has been defined using the following terms: forced rape, incapacitated rape, sexual coercion, and unwanted sexual contact (Fedina, Holmes, & Backes, 2016; Krebs et al., 2007). Additionally, attempted sexual assault, or sexual assault that was not completed, is often captured either as a unique type of assault or is grouped within another sexual assault type previously listed. Forced rape is defined as using physical force or the threat of force to complete an unwanted sexual act involving vaginal, anal, or oral penetration. Incapacitated rape is defined as a completed unwanted sexual act involving vaginal, anal, or oral penetration while the victim is unable to consent to the act because of drug use or alcohol intoxication, either when taken voluntarily or coercively.

Multiple types of assault are experienced by women. Sexual assault could be any type of sexual act that is forced. This also includes attempted rape and child molestation. Any time a woman does not consent to the act, it is sexual assault. This assault includes voyeurism--which is when someone watches a private act--and exhibitionism--which is when a man or woman exposes themselves in public. Incest is also included in sexual assault (“Sexual Abuse and Assault”). Women are exposed to every type of sexual assault, whether they realize it or not.

The most severe form of sexual offense is rape. The state of Massachusetts defines rape as the penetration of any bodily orifice without consent and with force or threat of force. Over 50 percent of reported rapes were committed by people who the victims knew well. In addition, seven percent of rape victims are male.

In many states, the legal definition of first and second degree sexual assault involves non-consensual sexual contact or intercourse. Sexual assault encompasses completed or attempted penetration, abusive sexual contact, and noncontact sexual abuse