SEXUAL ASSAULT STATISTICS

Sexual violence is any act (verbal and/or physical) which breaks a person's trust and/or safety and is sexual in nature. The term "sexual violence" includes rape, sexual assault, incest, child sexual abuset, ritual abuse, marital, partner or acquaintance sexual assault, sexual harassment, exhibititionism, some types of stalking and voyeurism.

Sexual assaults are acts of violence where sex is used as the weapon. Victims/survivors of sexual violence are forced, coerced, and/or manipulated to participate in unwanted sexual activity and feel violated. Assaults are motivated out of a need to feel powerful by controlling, dominating, or humiliating the victim.

National Statistics
as reported by RAINN (Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network)

A National Shame

Recent statistics show that rape is still all too prevalent in America.

• Somewhere in America, a woman is sexually assaulted every 2 1/2 minutes, according to the U.S. Department of Justice (2003).
• In 1996, 307,000 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.]
• 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.]

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 74% of rape victims knew their assailant. [Violent Victimization of Collge Students 2003]
• Approximately 14% of victims are raped by an intimate partner, 50% by a friend or acquaintance, and 7% by another relative. [National Crime Victimization Survey. Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2003]

Living In Fear

According to the U.S. Department of Justice: [All statistics are taken from: National Crime Victimization Survey, Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Dept. of Justice, 2003, 1995.]

• One of every five rapes take place in a public area or in a parking garage.
• 29% of female victims reported that the offender was a stranger.
• 59% of rapes occur between the hours of 6 p.m. and 6 a.m.
• At least 55% of rapists were under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
• In 16% of rapes, the offender used a weapon.
• In 33% of rapes, victims who present to the Emergency Room sustained injuries other than rape injuries.
• 41% of rape victims who present to the Emergency Room require medical care after the attack. 

Not Just a Family Matter

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.]

 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.]

Progress

• Besides the RAINN hotline (800-656-HOPE) there are other signs that we are making 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.
• Advocates, prosecutors, and survivors are working together in states across the country to change laws and statutes.
• More men are taking a public stand on this issue, including celebrities such as Glen Phillips of Toad the Wet Sprocket, Darius Rucker of Hootie & The Blowfish, and Michael Stipe of R.E.M.

Wisconsin Statistics

• There were 5,628 sexual assaults reported to law enforcement agencies in 2004. This is an increase of 3.7 percent from 2003.
• Sexual Assault Summary :
  • Forcible fondling comprised of 48.0 percent of reported assaults
  • Forcible rape comprised of 20.2 percent of reported assaults
  • Statutory rape comprised of 18.4 percent of reported assaults
  • Forcible sodomy comprised of 10.5 percent of reported assaults
  • Sexual assaults with an object comprised of 2.5 percent of reported assaults
  • Ejaculation/excretion upon the victim made up less than 1 percent of reported sexual assaults
• In 2003 Wisconsin's rate of 21.9 forcible rapes per 100,000 inhaitants was the lowest among 11 other Midwestern states.
• Approcimately one forcible rape is reported every 7 hours, 42 minutes, 40 seconds.
• In 4.5 percent of all forcible rapes the victims had a physical injury.
• In cases where relation to the victim was reported 88.9 percent of victims knew their assailants while 6.5 percent wre strangers.
• 19.4 percent of the assailants were related to the victim.
• The victims were predominantly female (84.7 percent) and white (80.2 percent) in reported assaults.
• The perpetrators were male (93.4 percent) and white (70.2) percent for most reported sexual assaults.
• 70.1 percent of victims were under the age of 15.
• The scene of the assualt was the victim's residence 32.7 percent of the time.
• In about 2 percent of the reported cases, the victim reported the use of a firearm, knife, blunt object, and/or drug.
• 50 percent of those arrested were referred to criminal or juvenile court. 46.2 percent of oucomes were unknown at the time of reporting.

Source for Wisconsin Statistics: 2004 Wisconsin Office of Justice Assistance Report on Sexual Assaults in Wisconsin.

National College Statistics

• In the US, each academic year, for every 5000 female students (the number at UWW), there are:
•     97 rapes by force or threat of force
•     80 attempted rapes by force or threat of force
•     121 rapes by coercion
•     146 sexual contacts with force or threat of force
•     149 sexual contacts by coercion
•     46.5% of those who experienced a completed rape defined it as rape
•     90% knew the offender
•     52% took place after midnight; 37% 6PM to midnight.
•     the majority both on and off campus assaults occurred in living quarters
•     more occurred off campus than on campus
•     <5% of completed and attempted rapes were reported to the police
•     2/3 told someone but rarely a college official
  (Source: "The Sexual Victimization of College Women";  National Institute of Justice and the Bureau of Justice Statistics; December, 2000.)
  

Data collected by the Wisconsin Coalition Against Sexual Assault)

• The most vulnerable population for campus rape are freshman girls during the first few months of school. Many of these girls were virgins before they were raped. (Neimark, Jill. Out of Bounds, the Truth About Athletes and Rape. Interactivetheater.org, 2000.)
• 1 out of 6 college women have been raped or have been the victim of an attempted rape during the past year. (Weitzman, E., DeJong, W., and Finn, P. Alcohol and Acquaintance Rape: Strategies to Protect Yourself and Each Other. The Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention. U.S. Department of Education, 1999.)
• 1 out of 15 male students raped or attempted to rape a woman during the past year. (Weitzman, E., DeJong, W., and Finn, P. Alcohol and Acquaintance Rape: Strategies to Protect Yourself and Each Other. The Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention. U.S. Department of Education, 1999.)
• 7 out of 10 rape or sexual assault victims knew their attacker. (Rennison, Calli M. Criminal Victimization 1998: Changes 1997-1998 with Trends 1993-1998. Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice, 1999.)
• 1/4 of all college-age rape victims blame themselves entirely for the attack. (Schwartz, M., Leggett, M. Bad Dates or Emotional Trauma- the Aftermath of Campus Sexual Assault. Violence Against Women, Vol. 5, No. 3, March, 1999.)
• Only 5% of undergraduate women reported their sexual assault to police. (Schwartz, M., Leggett, M. Bad Dates or Emotional Trauma- the Aftermath of Campus Sexual Assault. Violence Against Women, Vol. 5, No. 3, March, 1999.)
• 75% of male students and 55% of female students involved in date rape had been drinking or using drugs at the time. (Koss, M.P. 1998. Hidden Rape: Incident, Prevalence, and Descriptive Characteristics of Sexual Aggression and Victimization in a National Sample of College Students. Rape and Sexual Assault, Vol. II. edited by A.W. Burgess. New York: Garland Publishing Company.)
• 84% of men whose actions matched the legal definition of rape, said that what they did was definitely not rape. (Koss, M.P. 1998. Hidden Rape: Incident, Prevalence, and Descriptive Characteristics of Sexual Aggression and Victimization in a National Sample of College Students. Rape and Sexual Assault, Vol. II. edited by A.W. Burgess. New York: Garland Publishing Company.)
• Gang rapes on campus are most often perpetrated by men who participate in intensive male peer groups (such as fraternities or athletic teams) that foster rape supportive behaviors and attitudes. (Sexual Assault and Alcohol and Other Drug Use. The Higher Education Center for Alcohol and other Drug Prevention. U.S. Department of Education. June, 1998.)
  

UW-Whitewater Interpersonal Violence Survey Results (Kile, 2006)

In April of 2006, 428 UWW Students were surveyed anonymously in their classes.

• More respondents indicated that victimization occurred before rather than after they became UW-W students on most questions. The exceptions involved roommate situations.
  
• Men had higher rates on almost all types of violent aggression.
  
• Of the students who indicated they had experienced a behavior that is sexual assault by Wisconsin law, 59% indicated they had never been sexually assaulted.
  
• None reported to the police and <2% reported the assault to staff or faculty.
  
• More females than males reported being victims of sexual and intimate partner violence. Conversely more males reported being victims of other types of violence.
  
• The majority of students think UWW adequately educates about and keeps students safe from sexual violence.
  
• Most students know about the services UWW provides and think victims and alleged perpetrators are treated fairly.
  
• The majority of students learned about sexual violence through campus mailings, posters, brochures and bulletin boards.

Victimization Behaviors
Of the 9 behaviors on the survey that would constitute sexual assault

30% have experienced at least one behavior once in their lifetime

24% have experienced at least one behavior once before attending UWW

12% have experienced at least one behavior once while attending UWW

Female Male
42% 9% have experienced at least one behavior once in their lifetime

33% 7% have experienced at least one behavior once before attending UWW

17% 5% have experienced at least one behavior once while attending UWW

59% of those who had experienced at least one behavior in their lifetime indicated that they had never been sexually assaulted

66% of those who had experienced at least one behavior while attending UWW indicated that they had never been sexually assaulted

Female Male All
42% 9% 30% Have experienced any type of sexual assault

20% 3% 13% Think they have been sexually assaulted.

33% 6% 23% Sexual contact, not including intercourse, without their consent.

4% 4% 4% Someone used their position of authority (boss, teacher, camp counselor, supervisor, etc) to have sexual contact, not including intercourse, without their consent.

17% 2% 12% Sexual intercourse without their consent.

3% 2% 9% Sexual intercourse without consent, when under the influence of alcohol or other drugs.

14% 3% 10% Someone threatened them or used some degree of physical force to have sexual contact or intercourse with them

9% 3% 6% Sexual contact or intercourse while they were unconscious or asleep.

0% 2% 1% Sexual contact or intercourse with the use of a weapon.

41% 21% 35% Have experienced any type of intimate partner violence

31% 15% 25% An intimate partner belittled or intimidated them, isolated them from friends, or blamed them for their problems.

16% 6% 12% Threatened with physical harm by an intimate partner.

21% 12% 18% Hit, slapped, kicked, shaken or thrown by an intimate partner.

16% 6% 12% Received injuries from an intimate partner.

5% 10% 7% Threatened with physical harm by a roommate.

11% 22% 9% 5% Hit, slapped, kicked, shaken or thrown by a roommate.

2% 14% Threatened with a knife or gun.

<1% 6% 3% Shot or stabbed.

11% 21% 13% Threatened online.

1% 3% 2% Threatened, physically harmed, or pressured into sex by someone when they met face to face after talking online.

33% 17% 26% Followed or stalked.

Perpetration Behaviors

5% Perpetrated any type of sexual assault

1% Think they have sexually assaulted someone.

15% Perpetrated any type of intimate partner violence

4% Hit, slapped, kicked, shaken or thrown a roommate.

2% Threatened with a knife or gun.

1% Shot or stabbed.

3% Threatened someone online.

3% Followed or stalked.


UWW services and prevention
While a student at UWW, has learned about sexual assault through the following methods:

Female Male All
36% 38% 37% In a classroom (instructor presented).

46% 42% 44% In a classroom (speaker other than instructor).

33% 24% 29% At a program on campus.

23% 18% 21% At a program in a residence hall.

43% 32% 39% During preview or welcome week.

73% 70% 71% Posters on campus.

56% 51% 53% Brochures.

54% 58% 55% Bulletin board or display case.

36% 48% 40% Royal Purple (campus newspaper).

10% 6% 8% Sexual Assault Response Team (SARTeam) Website.

56% 50% 54% While a student at UWW, has received written material on sexual assault resources and/or policies in the mail.

42% 43% 42% While a student at UWW, has received written material on sexual assault resources and/or policies in a class.

11% 17% 15% While a student at UWW, has accessed information on sexual assault resources and/or policies on any UWW website.

71% 68% 69% Feels that UWW adequately educates on issues related to sexual assault.

83% 79% 82% Feels that UWW works to help students stay safe from sexual violence.

58% 59% 58% Is aware that support and advocacy services are available 24 hours per day through the Sexual Assault Response Team (SARTeam).

5% 1% 4% While at UWW, ever told a friend or family member that they were sexually assaulted.

<1% 0 <1% While at UWW, ever told a faculty, staff or SARTeam member that they were sexually assaulted.

0 0 0 While at UWW, ever told the police that they were sexually assaulted.

<1% 0 <1% While at UWW, ever told Student Life or Residence Life that they were sexually assaulted.

10% 20% 13% Believes UWW favors victims when responding to sexual assault allegations.
11% 11% 12% Believes UWW favors alleged perpetrators when responding to sexual assault.
79% 70% 75% Believes UWW treats victims and alleged perpetrators fairly.

Percentages may not equal 100 due to rounding. Definitions: Sexual Intercourse: Vaginal or anal intercourse, oral sex, or any intrusion, of any part of a person's body or any object, into the genital or anal opening. Consent: Words or overt actions by a person who is competent to give informed consent, indicating a freely given agreement. Intimate partner: Anyone with whom you have or had a sexual and/or romantic relationship. This can be a current or former boyfriend, girlfriend, partner or spouse.

National College Health Assessment (2005)

In March of 2005, 401 UWW students were surveyed anonymously in their classes.

Within the last school year, UWW students reported experiencing:
Verbal threats for sex against their will -- 3 % of men, 5 % of women
Sexual touching agaisnt their will -- 7% of men , 15% of women
Attempeted sexual penetration against their will -- 3% of men, 5% of women
An emotionally abusive relationship -- 11% of men, 16% of women
A physically abusive relationship -- 1% of men, 2% of women

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