Let’s Get Closer to Home..United States

The US has a serious public health issue with sexual violence that impacts a person’s health, opportunities, livelihood, and wellbeing long-term (CDC, 2022). Each year, researchers in the US report the affects sexual violence has on millions of people; with women and racial and ethnic minority groups experiencing a higher burden of sexual violence than their counterparts (CDC, 2022).

Let’s Talk About the Effects of Sexual Assault

Sexual assault for survivors tremendously impacts and affects more than just your cousin’s physical but their emotional, behavioral, and mental health as well.

Emotionally, survivors, like your parents, may suffer from depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts (CDC, 2022). They may feel ashamed, embarrassed, or afraid to tell the police, family, or friends, or you. They may have even been threaten into silence or have lost their voice and confidence in the belief that help even exists (CDC, 2022).

Physically, sexual violence effects your child’s body with bruising and genital injuries, sexually transmitted infections, and for cis-women/teens/girls – pregnancy (CDC, 2022). Survivors, like your best-friend, may suffer from and experience re-occurring reproductive, gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, and sexual health problems (CDC, 2022).

Behaviorally, your aunts and uncles, are more likely to smoke, abuse alcohol and drugs, and engage in risky sexual activity (CDC, 2022). It may impact their employment by taking time off, diminish performance, job loss, or inability to work (CDC, 2022).

Mentally, survivors, like yourself, may suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other psychological effects (CDC, 2022). The ability to cope may be affected such as completing everyday tasks, maintaining personal relationships, and regaining a sense of normalcy (CDC, 2022).

Additionally, sexual violence is linked to other forms of violence. It has been reported that girls who have been sexually abused are more likely to experience additional sexual violence and may become victims of intimate partner violence in adulthood (CDC, 2022). That girl from high school that continuously picks “the wrong guy” may unknowingly be operating from the effects of her past sexual abuse trauma. Not to mention that bullying perpetration in early middle school is also connected to sexual harassment or assault perpetration in high school (CDC, 2022).

Let’s Talk Statistics

Did you know…sexual assault occurs every 1-2 minutes in the US (WPR, 2024).

In the US, 81% of women and 43% of men reported experiencing some form of sexual assault or harassment in their lifetime (NSVRC, 2018).

There are 25.5 million women and 7.9 (mostly unreported) men who experienced sexual violence in their lifetime (CDC, 2015).

734,630 people were raped which also includes threatened, attempted, or completed rape in the US in 2018 (NSVRC, 2018).

False reporting for sex assault crimes are low – between 2% – 10% (NSVRC, 2018).

Sexual Assault survivors are 13 times more likely to attempt suicide than people who have not been victims of a crime (NCVRC, 2018).

Let’s Be Specific

Females

1 in 5 women in the US experience completed or attempted rape during their lifetime (NSVRC, 2015).

1 in 4 Undergraduate women experience SA or Sexual misconduct at 33 of the nation’s major universities (NSVRC, 2018). – 42% of these victims tell no one about the assault (DoSomething, 2014).

51.1% of female victims of rape have reported being raped by an intimate partner and 40.8% by an acquaintance (NSVRC, 2018).

42% of raped women expect to be raped again (NSVRC, 2018).

Males

24.8% of men in the US experienced some form of sexual violence in their lifetime (NSVRC, 2018).

52. 4% of male victims report being raped by an acquaintance and 15.1% by a stranger (NSVRC, 2018).

Men who were both victims and perpetrators of ASA (Adult Sexual Assault) were more likely to report experiencing childhood sexual abuse than men who were only victims, only perpetrators, or neither victim nor perpetrators (Safe Horizon, 2024).

Data on sexual violence against men may be underreported (Safe Horizon, 2024).

Teens

1 in 4 male victims of completed or attempted rape first experienced it between the ages of 11 and 17 (NSVRC, 2015).

12% of female victims and 26% of male victims report the SA occurred before the age of 10 (CDC, 2015).

Females between the age of 18 and 24 experience the highest rates of rape and SA victimizations (BJS, 2014).

Let’s Talk About Us

Black Females

1 in 4 Black girls will be sexually abused before the age of 18 (Barlow, 2020).

1 in 5 Black women are survivors of rape (Barlow, 2020).

For every Black woman who reports rape, at least 15 Black women do not report it (Barlow, 2020).

35% of Black women experienced some form of SA contact during their lifetime (Barlow, 2020).

40% – 60% of Black women report being subjected to coercive sexual contact by age 18 (Barlow, 2020).

17% of black women experienced sexual violence other than rape by an intimate partner during their lifetime (Barlow, 2020).

Compare to White women, Black women are less likely to involve the police in cases of child sexual abuse (Barlow, 2020)

Black Males

58.7% of Black males reported sexual contact before the age of 12 with someone 5 or more years older (Levine et. Al., 2017).

30% of black males from that same study reported unwanted sex between ages 12-16 (Levine et. Al., 2017).

22% of black males have been pressure or forced into sex by an intimate partner (Levine et. Al., 2017).

Black males and other marginalized groups are more likely to report experiencing sexual harassment than other men (Levine et. Al., 2017).

Due to religious, cultural, and societal pressures and norms, men are less likely to report sexual assault crimes and therefore, the statistics and information on this population is extremely low. Further research required.

Scripture References

Ephesians 5:25 – Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.

Ephesians 5:28-29 – In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church.

Galatians 5:14 – For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself”.

Psalm 11:5 – The Lord tests the righteous, but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence.