S
Sophia
Guest
Myths and Facts about Sexual Violence
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://womensissues.about.com/gi/dynamic/o...%2Fwelcome.html
Myth #1:
Victims provoke sexual assaults
when they dress provocatively
or act in a promiscuous manner.
Fact:
Rape and sexual assault are crimes of violence and control
that stem from a person's determination
to exercise power over another.
br>Neither provocative dress nor promiscuous behavior
are invitations for unwanted sexual activity.
Forcing someone to engage in non-consensual
sexual activity is sexual assault,
regardless of the way that
person dresses or acts.
Myth #2:
If a person goes to someone's room or house
or goes to a bar,
she assumes the risk of sexua
l assault.
If something happens later,
she can't claim that she was raped
or sexually assaulted because she should have known
not to go to those places.
Fact:
This "assumption of risk" wrongfully places the responsibility
of the offender's actions with the victim.
Even if a person went voluntarily to someone's residence
or room and consented to engage in some sexual activity,
it does not serve as a blanket consent for all sexual activity.
If a person is unsure about whether the other person is comfortable
with an elevated level of sex
ual activity,
the person should stop and ask.
When someone says "No" or "Stop",
that means STOP.
Sexual activity forced upon another
without consent is sexual assault.
Myth #3: <
br>
It's not sexual assault if it happens
after drinking or taking drugs.
Fact:
Being under the influence of alcohol or drugs
is not an invitation for non-consensual sexual activity.
A person under the influence of drugs
or alcohol
does not cause others to assault her;
others choose to take advantage of the situation
and sexually assault her because she is in a vulnerable position.
Many state laws hold that a person who is cognitively impaired
due to the influence of drugs or alcohol is not able to consent
to sexual activity.
The act of an offender who deliberately uses alcohol
as a means to subdue someone in order to engage
in non-consensual sexual activity is also criminal.
<b
r>Myth #4:
Most sexual assaults are committed by strangers.
It's not rape if the people involved knew each other.
Fact:
Most sexual assaults and rapes are committed
by someone the victim knows.
Among victims aged 18 to 29, two-thirds had a prior relationship
with the offender(1).
During 2000, about six in ten rape or sexual assault victims
stated the offender was an intimate,
other relative, a friend or an acquaintance(2).
A study of sexual victimization of college women
showed th
at most victims knew the person
who sexually victimized them.
For both completed and attempted rapes,
about 9 in 10 offenders were known to the victim(3).
Most often, a boyfriend, ex-boyfriend, classmate,
friend, acquaintance, or co-worker sexually victimized the women(4).
Sexual assault can be committed within any type of relationship,
including in marriage, in dating relationships,
or by friends, acquainta
nces or co-workers.
Sexual assault can occur in heterosexual
or same-gender relationships.
It does not matter whether there is a current
or past relationship between the victim and offender;
unwanted sexual act
ivity is still sexual assault
and is a serious crime.
Myth #5:
Rape can be avoided if women avoid dark alleys
or other "dangerous" places where strangers
might be hiding or lurking.
Fact:
Rape and sexual assault can occur at any time,
in many places, to anyone.
According to a report based on FBI data,
almost 70% of sexual assau
lt reported
to law enforcement occurred in the residence of the victim,
the offender, or another individual(5).
As pointed out above in Fact #4,
many rapes are committed by people known to the victim.
While prudent, avoiding dark alleys or "dangerous" places
will not necessarily protect someone from being sexually assaulted. <b
r>
Myth #6:
A person who has really been sexually assaulted will be hysterical.
Fact:
Victims of sexual violence exhibit a spectrum of responses
to the assault which can include:
calm,
hysteria,<
br> withdrawal,
anger,
apathy,
denial,
and shock.
Being sexually assaulted is a very traumatic experience.
Reactions to the assault and the length of time needed to process
through the experience vary with each person.
There is no "right way" to react to being sexually assaulted.
Assumptions about a way a victim "should act"
may be detrimental to the victim because
each victim copes with the trauma of the assault in
different ways
which can also vary over time.
Myth #7:
All sexual assault victims will report the crime
immediately to the police.
If they do not report it or delay in reporting it,
then they must have changed their minds after it happene
d,
wanted revenge,
or didn't want to look like they were sexually active.
Fact:
There are many reasons why a sexual assault victim
may not report the assault to the police.
It is not easy to talk about bein
g sexually assaulted.
The experience of re-telling what happened
may cause the person to relive the trauma.
Other reasons for not immediately reporting the assault
or not reporting it at all include fear of retaliation by the offender,
fear of not being believed,
fear of being blamed for the assault,
fear of being "revictimized" if the case goes through
the criminal justice system,
belief that the offender will not be held accountable,
wanting to forget the assault ever happened,
not recogni
zing that what happened was sexual assault,
shame, and/or shock.
In fact, reporting a sexual assault incident to the police
is the exception and not the norm.
From
1993 to 1999, about 70% of rape and sexual assault crimes
were not reported to the police(6).
Because a person did not immediately report an assault
or chooses not to report it at all
does not mean that the assault did not happ
en.
Victims can report a sexual assault
to criminal justice authorities at any time,
whether it be immediately after the assault or within weeks,
months, or even years after the assault.
Criminal justice authorities can move forward with a criminal case,
so long as the incident is reported within the jurisdiction's statute
of limitations.
Each state has different statutes of limitations
that apply to the crimes of rape and sexual assault.
Statutes of limitations provide for the time period
in which criminal justice authorities can charge an individual
with a crime
for a particular incident.
If you have any questions about your state's
statute of limitations, you can call your local po
lice department,
prosecutor's office, local sexual assault victim services program,
or state sexual assault coalition.
Myth #8:
Only young, pretty women are assaulted.
Fact:
The belief that only young, p
retty women are sexually assaulted
stems from the myth that sexual assault is based on sex
and physical attraction.
Sexual assault is a crime of power and control
and offenders often choose people
whom they perceive as most vulnerable to attack
or over whom they believe they can assert power.
Sexual assault victims come from all walks of life.
They can range in age from the very old to the very young.
Many victims of sexual violence are under 12.
Sixty-seven percent of all victims of sexual assault
reported to law enforcement agencies were juveniles
(under the age of 1; 34% of all victims were under age 12.
One of eve
ry seven victims of sexual assault reported
to law enforcement agenc
ies were under age 6.(7)
Men and boys are sexually assaulted.
Persons with disabilities are also sexually assaulted.
Assumptions about the "typical" sexual assault victim
may further isolate those victimiz
ed because they may feel
they will not be believed if they do not share the
characteristics of the stereotypical sexual assault victim.
Myth #9:
It's only rape if the victim puts up a fight and resists.
Fact:
Many states do not require a victim to resist
in order to charge the offender with rape or sexual assault.
In addition, there are many reasons why a victim
of sexual assault would not fight or resist her attacker.
She may feel that fighting or resisting
will make her attacker angry,
resulting in more severe injury.
She may not fight or resist as a coping mechanism
for dealing with the trauma of being sexually assaulted.
Many law enforcement experts say that vi
c
tims
should trust their instincts and intuition
and do what they think is most likely to keep them alive.
Not fighting or resisting an attack does not equal consent.
It may mean it was the best way she knew how
to protect
herself from further injury.
Myth #10:
Someone can only be sexually assaulted if a weapon was involved.
Fact:
In many cases of sexual assault, a weapon is not involved.
The offender often uses physical strength,
physical violence,
intimidation, threats,
or a combination of these tactics
to overpower the victim.
As pointed out in Fact #4, most sexual assaults
are perpetrated by someone known to the victim.
An offender often uses the victim's trust
developed through their relationship
to create an opportunity to commit the sexual assault.
In addition, the offender may have intimate knowledge
about the victim's life,
such as where she lives, where she
works,
where she goes to school, or information about her family and fr
iends.
This enhances the credibility of any threats
made by the offender since he has the knowledge
about her life to carry them out.
Although the presence o
f a weapon
while committing the assault may result
in a higher penalty or criminal charge,
the absence of a weapon does not mean
that the offender cannot be held criminally
responsible for a sexual assault.
Myth #11:
Rape is mostly an inter-racial crime.
Fact:
The vast majority of violent crimes,
which include sexual assaults and rapes,
are intra-racial,
meaning the victim and the offender are of the same race(.
This is not true, however, for rapes and sexual assaults
committed against Native women.
American Indian victims reported that approximately
8 in 10 rapes or sexual assaults were perpetrated by whites(9).
Native women also experience a higher rate of s
exual assault
victimization than any other race(10).
If you or someone you know is a victim of sexual assault
and would l
ike information about help in your area,
please call your state sexual assault coalition or
local sexua
l assault victim services program
for referrals and information on available services.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Notes
1. Greenfeld, Lawrence A., Sex Offenses and Offenders: An Analysis of Data on Rape and Sexual Assault, Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics (1997).
2. Bureau of Justice Statistics, Crime Characteristics: Violent Crime - Victim/Offender Relationship (last revised Dec. 20, 2001) <http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/cvict_c.htm>.
3. Fisher, Bonnie S., Francis T. Cullen and Michael G. Turner, The Sexual Victimization of College Women Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Jus
tice and Bureau of Justice Statistics, NCJ 182369 (December 2000).
4. Id.
5. Snyder, Howard N., Sexual Assault of Young Children as Reported to Law Enforcement: Victim, Inci
dent, and Offender Characteristics, Washington, DC: American Statistical Associ
ation and U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, NCJ 182990 (July 2000).
6. Rennison, Callie M., National Crime Victimization Survey, Criminal Victimization 2000: Changes 1999-2000 with Trends 1993-2000, Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, NCJ 187007 (June 2001)
7. Id.
8. Rennison, Callie M., Violent Victimization and Race, 1993-98, Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, NCJ 176354 (March 2001)
9. Greenfeld, Lawrence A. and Steven K. Smith, American Indians and Crime, Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, NCJ 173386 (February 1999)
10. Id.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://womensissues.about.com/gi/dynamic/o...%2Fwelcome.html
Myth #1:
Victims provoke sexual assaults
when they dress provocatively
or act in a promiscuous manner.
Fact:
Rape and sexual assault are crimes of violence and control
that stem from a person's determination
to exercise power over another.
br>Neither provocative dress nor promiscuous behavior
are invitations for unwanted sexual activity.
Forcing someone to engage in non-consensual
sexual activity is sexual assault,
regardless of the way that
person dresses or acts.
Myth #2:
If a person goes to someone's room or house
or goes to a bar,
she assumes the risk of sexua
l assault.
If something happens later,
she can't claim that she was raped
or sexually assaulted because she should have known
not to go to those places.
Fact:
This "assumption of risk" wrongfully places the responsibility
of the offender's actions with the victim.
Even if a person went voluntarily to someone's residence
or room and consented to engage in some sexual activity,
it does not serve as a blanket consent for all sexual activity.
If a person is unsure about whether the other person is comfortable
with an elevated level of sex
ual activity,
the person should stop and ask.
When someone says "No" or "Stop",
that means STOP.
Sexual activity forced upon another
without consent is sexual assault.
Myth #3: <
br>
It's not sexual assault if it happens
after drinking or taking drugs.
Fact:
Being under the influence of alcohol or drugs
is not an invitation for non-consensual sexual activity.
A person under the influence of drugs
or alcohol
does not cause others to assault her;
others choose to take advantage of the situation
and sexually assault her because she is in a vulnerable position.
Many state laws hold that a person who is cognitively impaired
due to the influence of drugs or alcohol is not able to consent
to sexual activity.
The act of an offender who deliberately uses alcohol
as a means to subdue someone in order to engage
in non-consensual sexual activity is also criminal.
<b
r>Myth #4:
Most sexual assaults are committed by strangers.
It's not rape if the people involved knew each other.
Fact:
Most sexual assaults and rapes are committed
by someone the victim knows.
Among victims aged 18 to 29, two-thirds had a prior relationship
with the offender(1).
During 2000, about six in ten rape or sexual assault victims
stated the offender was an intimate,
other relative, a friend or an acquaintance(2).
A study of sexual victimization of college women
showed th
at most victims knew the person
who sexually victimized them.
For both completed and attempted rapes,
about 9 in 10 offenders were known to the victim(3).
Most often, a boyfriend, ex-boyfriend, classmate,
friend, acquaintance, or co-worker sexually victimized the women(4).
Sexual assault can be committed within any type of relationship,
including in marriage, in dating relationships,
or by friends, acquainta
nces or co-workers.
Sexual assault can occur in heterosexual
or same-gender relationships.
It does not matter whether there is a current
or past relationship between the victim and offender;
unwanted sexual act
ivity is still sexual assault
and is a serious crime.
Myth #5:
Rape can be avoided if women avoid dark alleys
or other "dangerous" places where strangers
might be hiding or lurking.
Fact:
Rape and sexual assault can occur at any time,
in many places, to anyone.
According to a report based on FBI data,
almost 70% of sexual assau
lt reported
to law enforcement occurred in the residence of the victim,
the offender, or another individual(5).
As pointed out above in Fact #4,
many rapes are committed by people known to the victim.
While prudent, avoiding dark alleys or "dangerous" places
will not necessarily protect someone from being sexually assaulted. <b
r>
Myth #6:
A person who has really been sexually assaulted will be hysterical.
Fact:
Victims of sexual violence exhibit a spectrum of responses
to the assault which can include:
calm,
hysteria,<
br> withdrawal,
anger,
apathy,
denial,
and shock.
Being sexually assaulted is a very traumatic experience.
Reactions to the assault and the length of time needed to process
through the experience vary with each person.
There is no "right way" to react to being sexually assaulted.
Assumptions about a way a victim "should act"
may be detrimental to the victim because
each victim copes with the trauma of the assault in
different ways
which can also vary over time.
Myth #7:
All sexual assault victims will report the crime
immediately to the police.
If they do not report it or delay in reporting it,
then they must have changed their minds after it happene
d,
wanted revenge,
or didn't want to look like they were sexually active.
Fact:
There are many reasons why a sexual assault victim
may not report the assault to the police.
It is not easy to talk about bein
g sexually assaulted.
The experience of re-telling what happened
may cause the person to relive the trauma.
Other reasons for not immediately reporting the assault
or not reporting it at all include fear of retaliation by the offender,
fear of not being believed,
fear of being blamed for the assault,
fear of being "revictimized" if the case goes through
the criminal justice system,
belief that the offender will not be held accountable,
wanting to forget the assault ever happened,
not recogni
zing that what happened was sexual assault,
shame, and/or shock.
In fact, reporting a sexual assault incident to the police
is the exception and not the norm.
From
1993 to 1999, about 70% of rape and sexual assault crimes
were not reported to the police(6).
Because a person did not immediately report an assault
or chooses not to report it at all
does not mean that the assault did not happ
en.
Victims can report a sexual assault
to criminal justice authorities at any time,
whether it be immediately after the assault or within weeks,
months, or even years after the assault.
Criminal justice authorities can move forward with a criminal case,
so long as the incident is reported within the jurisdiction's statute
of limitations.
Each state has different statutes of limitations
that apply to the crimes of rape and sexual assault.
Statutes of limitations provide for the time period
in which criminal justice authorities can charge an individual
with a crime
for a particular incident.
If you have any questions about your state's
statute of limitations, you can call your local po
lice department,
prosecutor's office, local sexual assault victim services program,
or state sexual assault coalition.
Myth #8:
Only young, pretty women are assaulted.
Fact:
The belief that only young, p
retty women are sexually assaulted
stems from the myth that sexual assault is based on sex
and physical attraction.
Sexual assault is a crime of power and control
and offenders often choose people
whom they perceive as most vulnerable to attack
or over whom they believe they can assert power.
Sexual assault victims come from all walks of life.
They can range in age from the very old to the very young.
Many victims of sexual violence are under 12.
Sixty-seven percent of all victims of sexual assault
reported to law enforcement agencies were juveniles
(under the age of 1; 34% of all victims were under age 12.
One of eve
ry seven victims of sexual assault reported
to law enforcement agenc
ies were under age 6.(7)
Men and boys are sexually assaulted.
Persons with disabilities are also sexually assaulted.
Assumptions about the "typical" sexual assault victim
may further isolate those victimiz
ed because they may feel
they will not be believed if they do not share the
characteristics of the stereotypical sexual assault victim.
Myth #9:
It's only rape if the victim puts up a fight and resists.
Fact:
Many states do not require a victim to resist
in order to charge the offender with rape or sexual assault.
In addition, there are many reasons why a victim
of sexual assault would not fight or resist her attacker.
She may feel that fighting or resisting
will make her attacker angry,
resulting in more severe injury.
She may not fight or resist as a coping mechanism
for dealing with the trauma of being sexually assaulted.
Many law enforcement experts say that vi
c
tims
should trust their instincts and intuition
and do what they think is most likely to keep them alive.
Not fighting or resisting an attack does not equal consent.
It may mean it was the best way she knew how
to protect
herself from further injury.
Myth #10:
Someone can only be sexually assaulted if a weapon was involved.
Fact:
In many cases of sexual assault, a weapon is not involved.
The offender often uses physical strength,
physical violence,
intimidation, threats,
or a combination of these tactics
to overpower the victim.
As pointed out in Fact #4, most sexual assaults
are perpetrated by someone known to the victim.
An offender often uses the victim's trust
developed through their relationship
to create an opportunity to commit the sexual assault.
In addition, the offender may have intimate knowledge
about the victim's life,
such as where she lives, where she
works,
where she goes to school, or information about her family and fr
iends.
This enhances the credibility of any threats
made by the offender since he has the knowledge
about her life to carry them out.
Although the presence o
f a weapon
while committing the assault may result
in a higher penalty or criminal charge,
the absence of a weapon does not mean
that the offender cannot be held criminally
responsible for a sexual assault.
Myth #11:
Rape is mostly an inter-racial crime.
Fact:
The vast majority of violent crimes,
which include sexual assaults and rapes,
are intra-racial,
meaning the victim and the offender are of the same race(.
This is not true, however, for rapes and sexual assaults
committed against Native women.
American Indian victims reported that approximately
8 in 10 rapes or sexual assaults were perpetrated by whites(9).
Native women also experience a higher rate of s
exual assault
victimization than any other race(10).
If you or someone you know is a victim of sexual assault
and would l
ike information about help in your area,
please call your state sexual assault coalition or
local sexua
l assault victim services program
for referrals and information on available services.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Notes
1. Greenfeld, Lawrence A., Sex Offenses and Offenders: An Analysis of Data on Rape and Sexual Assault, Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics (1997).
2. Bureau of Justice Statistics, Crime Characteristics: Violent Crime - Victim/Offender Relationship (last revised Dec. 20, 2001) <http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/cvict_c.htm>.
3. Fisher, Bonnie S., Francis T. Cullen and Michael G. Turner, The Sexual Victimization of College Women Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Jus
tice and Bureau of Justice Statistics, NCJ 182369 (December 2000).
4. Id.
5. Snyder, Howard N., Sexual Assault of Young Children as Reported to Law Enforcement: Victim, Inci
dent, and Offender Characteristics, Washington, DC: American Statistical Associ
ation and U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, NCJ 182990 (July 2000).
6. Rennison, Callie M., National Crime Victimization Survey, Criminal Victimization 2000: Changes 1999-2000 with Trends 1993-2000, Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, NCJ 187007 (June 2001)
7. Id.
8. Rennison, Callie M., Violent Victimization and Race, 1993-98, Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, NCJ 176354 (March 2001)
9. Greenfeld, Lawrence A. and Steven K. Smith, American Indians and Crime, Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, NCJ 173386 (February 1999)
10. Id.