Statistics

Though it is difficult to measure the true scope of the problem of sexual assault and violence, we are able to provide some statistics from partnering agencies. Here we are including numbers on prevalence and effect. For more detailed data, please review www.rainn.org as well as the National Crime Victimization Survey at the Bureau of Justice Statistics.

Every 68 seconds another American is sexually assaulted.
On average, there are 433,648 victims (age 12 or older) of rape and sexual assault each year in the United States.
1 out of every 6 American women has been the victim of an attempted or completed rape in her lifetime (14.8% completed, 2.8% attempted).
1 out of every 10 rape victims are male.
About 3% of American men—or 1 in 33—have experienced an attempted or completed rape in their lifetime.
21% of TGQN (transgender, genderqueer, nonconforming) college students have been sexually assaulted, compared to 18% of non-TGQN females, and 4% of non-TGQN males.
American Indians are twice as likely to experience a rape/sexual assault compared to all races.
Ages 12-34 are the highest risk years for rape and sexual assault.
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.
From 2009-2013, Child Protective Services agencies substantiated, or found strong evidence to indicate that, 63,000 children a year were victims of sexual abuse.
A majority of child victims are 12-17. Of victims under the age of 18: 34% of victims of sexual assault and rape are under age 12, and 66% of victims of sexual assault and rape are age 12-17.
In FY16 alone, Child Protective Services agencies substantiated, or found strong evidence to indicate that, 57,329 children were victims of sexual abuse.
One in 9 girls and 1 in 53 boys under the age of 18 experience sexual abuse or assault at the hands of an adult.
82% of all victims under 18 are female.
Females ages 16-19 are 4 times more likely than the general population to be victims of rape, attempted rape, or sexual assault.

For more statistics and their sources visit:

https://www.rainn.org/statistics/scope-problem

Number of people victimized each year by rape and sexual assault

EFFECTS

People who have been victims of sexual assault are at higher risk for long term effects to their health, mental health, and long-term relationships.

94% of women who are raped experience symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) during the two weeks following the rape.
30% of women report symptoms of PTSD 9 months after the rape.
33% of women who are raped contemplate suicide.
13% of women who are raped attempt suicide.
Approximately 70% of rape or sexual assault victims experience moderate to severe distress, a larger percentage than for any other violent crime.

People who have been sexually assaulted are more likely to use drugs than the general public.

3.4 times more likely to use marijuana
6 times more likely to use cocaine
10 times more likely to use other major drugs

Sexual violence also affects victims’ relationships with their family, friends, and co-workers.

38% of victims of sexual violence experience work or school problems, which can include significant problems with a boss, coworker, or peer.
37% experience family/friend problems, including getting into arguments more frequently than before, not feeling able to trust their family/friends, or not feeling as close to them as before the crime.
84% of survivors who were victimized by an intimate partner experience professional or emotional issues, including moderate to severe distress, or increased problems at work or school.
79% of survivors who were victimized by a family member, close friend or acquaintance experience professional or emotional issues, including moderate to severe distress, or increased problems at work or school.
67% of survivors who were victimized by a stranger, experience professional or emotional issues, including moderate to severe distress, or increased problems at work or school.

For sources visit www.rainn.org/statistics

TEEN DATING VIOLENCE

Violence in teen relationships can take several forms. It can involve stalking or harassment, such as spying on a partner or monitoring private online activity without permission, or psychological aggression, such as threats, insults, or attempts to control. In cases of physical and sexual violence, one partner may physically harm another, force them to engage in sexual acts against their will, or share intimate photos without consent. Violence typically happens to young people because they do not yet have the skills to manage conflict, cope with feelings of jealousy, and navigate rejection. Those challenges have intensified with the rise of social media. Many teens’ social interactions now play out in public online spaces, adding feelings of shame and fear of judgment to the mix which puts them at higher risk to experience teen dating violence.

1 in 3 U.S. teens will experience physical, sexual, or emotional abuse from someone they’re in a relationship with before becoming adults
Nearly 1.5 million high school students nationwide experience physical abuse from a dating partner in a single year.
1 in 3 girls in the US are a victim of physical, emotional or verbal abuse from a dating partner, a figure that far exceeds rates of other types of youth violence.
1 in 10 high school students have been purposefully hit, slapped or physically hurt by a boyfriend or girlfriend.
1 in 4 women who experience physical and/or sexual violence are first victimized between the ages of 11 and 17.
Girls and young women between the ages of 16 and 24 experience the highest rate of intimate partner violence, almost triple the national average.
Among female victims of intimate partner violence, 94% of those age 16-19 and 70% of those age 20-24 were victimized by a current or former boyfriend or girlfriend.
Violent behavior often begins between the ages of 12 and 18.
The severity of intimate partner violence is often greater in cases where the pattern of abuse was established in adolescence.
Nearly half (43%) of U.S. college women report experiencing violent or abusive dating behaviors.
College students are not equipped to deal with dating abuse, 57% say it is difficult to identify and 58% say they don’t know how to help someone who’s experiencing it.
1 in 3 (36%) dating college students have given a dating partner their computer, email or social network passwords and these students are more likely to experience digital dating abuse.
1 in 6 (16%) college women have been sexually abused in a dating relationship.
Around 20% of undergraduates report experiencing physical dating abuse, with many more enduring psychological dating abuse.
23.1% of females and 5.4% of males experience sexual assault during their college years.
Only 20% of female college student victims report their sexual assaults to law enforcement.
Nearly 1 in 2 teens from financially struggling households reported physical abuse by a dating partner, compared to 1 in 4 teens from economically stable families.
Approximately 26 million teenagers experience some form of dating violence before graduating from high school, according to a CDC survey conducted in 2016 and 2017.
33% of teens who were in an abusive relationship never told anyone about the abuse.
A total of 17% of LGBTQ+ students have been forced to have sex at some point.
Stalking behaviors are alarmingly prevalent, with about half of all teens reporting they've been stalked or harassed.
About 7.5% of high school students report being victims of stalking, the YRBS 2023 data shows.
Broader CDC studies suggest that 15% of adolescent girls and 7% of boys in the U.S. experience stalking behaviors.
According to a 2023 study, roughly 1 in 3 teens experience cyber dating abuse while nearly 1 in 4 perpetrates it.
Victims of sexual cyber dating abuse were 7 times more likely to experience sexual coercion.
82% of parents feel confident that they could recognize the signs if their child was experiencing dating abuse, out of those 82% of parents, 58% of them could not correctly identify all the warning signs of abuse.
Kids who witness abuse between their parents are 15 times more likely to enter an abusive relationship themselves.

For more statistics and their sources visit:

https://www.loveisrespect.org/pdf/Dating_Abuse_Statistics.pdf

https://www.breakthecycle.org/teen-dating-violence-statistics/

https://www.cdc.gov/intimate-partner-violence/about/about-teen-dating-violence.html

LONG LASTING EFFECTS

Violent relationships in adolescence can have serious ramifications by putting the victims at higher risk for eating disorders, experience depression and anxiety symptoms, engaging in unhealthy behaviors, like using tobacco, drugs, and alcohol, exhibit antisocial behaviors, like lying, theft, bullying, or hitting, risky sexual behavior and future domestic violence.
Being physically or sexually abused makes teen girls six times more likely to become pregnant and twice as likely to get a STD.
Half of youth who have been victims of both dating violence and rape, attempt suicide, compared to 12.5% of non-abused girls and 5.4% of non-abused boys.
88% of teens with a history of dating violence experienced interruptions and difficulties with their education.
Youth who are victims of dating violence in high school are at higher risk for victimization during college.
More than twice as likely to repeat such damaging relationships as adults
Increased suicidal feelings years later, compared with teens with healthy dating experiences.
Females who had experienced teen dating violence reported increased depression symptoms and were 1.5 times more likely to binge drink or smoke and twice as likely to have suicidal thoughts.
Males who had experienced teen dating violence reported more anti-social behaviors, were 1.3 times more likely to use marijuana and twice as likely to have suicidal thoughts.

For more statistics and their sources visit:

https://www.loveisrespect.org/pdf/Dating_Abuse_Statistics.pdf

https://www.cdc.gov/intimate-partner-violence/about/about-teen-dating-violence.html