"Blaming the victim is an act of refuge and self-deception. It allows the blamer to sit in judgment, imagining some mystical justice that means bad things happen only to bad people, thus ensuring their own safety.”
What is sexual assault?
The term sexual assault refers to sexual contact or behavior that occurs without explicit consent of the victim. Some forms of sexual assault include:
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Attempted rape
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Fondling or unwanted sexual touching
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Forcing a victim to perform sexual acts, such as oral sex or penetrating the perpetrator’s body
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Penetration of the victim’s body, also known as rape
What is rape?
Rape is a form of sexual assault, but not all sexual assault is rape. The term rape is often used as a legal definition to specifically include sexual penetration without consent. For its Uniform Crime Reports, the FBI defines rape as “penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus with any body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person, without the consent of the victim.” To see how your state legally defines rape and other forms of sexual assault, visit RAINN's State Law Database.
What is force?
Force doesn’t always refer to physical pressure. Perpetrators may use emotional coercion, psychological force, or manipulation to coerce a victim into non-consensual sex. Some perpetrators will use threats to force a victim to comply, such as threatening to hurt the victim or their family or other intimidation tactics.
Who are the perpetrators?
The majority of perpetrators are someone known to the victim. Approximately eight out of 10 sexual assaults are committed by someone known to the victim, such as in the case of intimate partner sexual violence or acquaintance rape.
The term “date rape” is sometimes used to refer to acquaintance rape. Perpetrators of acquaintance rape might be a date, but they could also be a classmate, a neighbor, a friend’s significant other, or any number of different roles. It’s important to remember that dating, instances of past intimacy, or other acts like kissing do not give someone consent for increased or continued sexual contact.
In other instances the victim may not know the perpetrator at all. This type of sexual violence is sometimes referred to as stranger rape. Stranger rape can occur in several different ways:
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Blitz sexual assault: when a perpetrator quickly and brutally assaults the victim with no prior contact, usually at night in a public place
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Contact sexual assault: when a perpetrator contacts the victim and tries to gain their trust by flirting, luring the victim to their car, or otherwise trying to coerce the victim into a situation where the sexual assault will occur
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Home invasion sexual assault: when a stranger breaks into the victim's home to commit the assault
Every 73 seconds, an American is Sexually Assaulted.
Sexual violence affects hundreds of thousands of Americans each year. While we’re making progress — the number of assaults has fallen by more than half since 1993 — even today, only 5 out of every 1,000 rapists will end up in prison.
Younger People Are at the Highest Risk of Sexual Violence
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Ages 12-34 are the highest risk years for rape and sexual assault.3
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Those age 65 and older are 92% less likely than 12-24 year olds to be a victim of rape or sexual assault, and 83% less likely than 25-49 year olds. 4
Read more statistics about about child sexual abuse.
Women and Girls Experience Sexual Violence at High Rates
Millions of women in the United States have experienced rape.
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As of 1998, an estimated 17.7 million American women had been victims of attempted or completed rape.5
Young women are especially at risk.
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82% of all juvenile victims are female. 90% of adult rape victims are female.6
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Females ages 16-19 are 4 times more likely than the general population to be victims of rape, attempted rape, or sexual assault.3
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Women ages 18-24 who are college students are 3 times more likely than women in general to experience sexual violence. Females of the same age who are not enrolled in college are 4 times more likely.7
Read more statistics about campus sexual violence.
Men and Boys Are Also Affected by Sexual Violence
Millions of men in the United States have been victims of rape.
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As of 1998, 2.78 million men in the U.S. had been victims of attempted or completed rape.5
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About 3% of American men—or 1 in 33—have experienced an attempted or completed rape in their lifetime.5
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1 out of every 10 rape victims are male.
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