Right now, sexual assault is the most widespread crime in the US, but also the least reported. Much work has been done in the last two decades to transform the landscape of sexual assault and empower victims of this type of crime.
Despite some helpful progressive reforms, statistics on sexual assault reflect that many crimes are still not fully addressed or understood.
It is important that we analyze and address the strengths and weaknesses of the current approach using the latest statistics on sexual harassment to understand what needs improvement and where.
Alarming Sexual Assault Statistics
One of the most shocking facts about sexual assault is that only about 5% of reported sexual assault reports have been proven to be false.
82% of all young victims of sexual assault are women.
90% of adult rape victims are women.
41% of sexual assaults against Indians are committed by strangers. Adolescents between the ages of 14 and 17 were by far the most likely victims of sexual violence; Almost one in six (16.3%) has been sexually harassed in the past year.
General statistics on sexual assault
Statistics on sexual assault do not even begin to convey the suffering of victims and their families, but they provide information on the worrying scale of the problem.
1. In 2019, more than 652 676 women were raped.
This figure excludes sexual assault without rape, but includes rape statistics by date; if included, the data on sexual assaults without rape would bring the figure closer to one million. Worse, it has risen at an annual rate of 2.9% over the past decade, and that trend shows no signs of abating.
2. More than 40% of women in the United States are exposed to sexual violence.
Rape and sexual assault statistics show that 41.8% of women in the US who have been victims of sexual violence other than rape are sexually abused.
3. Almost 80% of women victims of sexual assault experience their first assault before the age of 25.
Exactly 79.6% of female victims who have suffered one or more complete rapes did so before the age of 25.
4. Approximately 20% of American men have been victims of sexual violence.
According to Rainn’s statistics, the majority of out-of-prison rape victims are women. Yet studies show that 21.4% of men in the US have been victims of sexual violence and have experienced it outside of any correctional facility.
5. A quarter of the male victims of sexual assault were under 10 years of age.
Studies have shown that approximately 28% of male victims of sexual assault in the United States experienced their first assault when they were 10 years old or younger.
6. Statistics on rapes show that less than 20% of rapes are reported.
Only 19% of rape cases are reported annually. This number goes through the bank. The general consensus is that rape is still viewed as shameful, hence the reluctance of the victims.
7. Women and men with disabilities are twice as likely to be sexually assaulted as people without disabilities.
Unfortunately, data from watchdog organizations and US statistics on sexual assault have shown that people with disabilities are twice as likely to be victims of sexual assault than people without disabilities. Sexual abuse statistics show that the majority of these egregious abuses took place in care settings (both institutional and home). However, it has also been reported to take place during family doctor or hospital sessions, as well as individual therapy sessions.
8. During the last year, the armed forces reported almost 20,000 sexual assaults.
A 2010 study on the extent of sexual assault within the military found a sexual violence statistic of 3,577, of which only a quarter occurred in combat zones. The study was repeated in 2019, and sexual assault statistics showed that there have now been more than 19,000 sexual assaults in the US military. 9.2% of all children surveyed in 2019 were victims of sexual assault.
Child Sexual Abuse Statistics underscores the heartbreaking revelation that teens ages 14-17 were in the highest risk category for sexual assault, with more than one in four teens (27.3%) being sexually harassed during his life.
9. Approximately 70 women in the United States commit suicide every day after an act of sexual violence.
Statistics on sexual assaults on women reveal some extremely disturbing facts. An estimated 70 women in the United States commit suicide every day as a direct result of sexual violence. It is worrying that that number has increased by 2.87% in the last year.
10. Past incidents of sexual violence increased by 1.9% in 2019.
According to the 2019 Sexual Harassment Facts and Statistics, incidents of harassment leading to sexual assault have increased steadily over the past year. What makes this figure even more alarming is the fact that initiatives have been taken to prevent and protect against such incidents. Therefore, it is necessary to review state legislation and reflection on the subject.
11. Statistics show that one in six American women is raped annually in the United States.
Surveys and statistics of rape by gender found that 1 in 6 American women and 1 in 33 American men have experienced an attempted rape as children or adults. This worrying number is projected to grow exponentially over the next three years.
12. In 2019, over 1.5 million women were raped by theirs partner.
Department of Justice statistics on sexual harassment suggest that more than 1.5 million women and 834,700 men are raped and / or physically assaulted by intimate partners annually in the United States. This staggering number is both overwhelming and disturbing.
13. Approximately 16% of men in juvenile prisons have been sexually assaulted.
A 2019 study from the US Center for Disease Control analyzed incidents and incidence of sexual violence among women in juvenile prisons. The results showed that 16% of the men were victims of sexual abuse, while more than 60% of the men in these facilities were at risk of sexual violence.
14. In Florida alone, a staggering 1,477,000 men have been sexually assaulted.
In Florida, 20.4% of men or 1,477,000 men have been victims of sexual violence in the last decade.
15. More than 25% of male victims of sexual assault experience their first assault before the age of 10.
According to the 2019 Sexual Assault Statistics, Studies and Statistical Analysis, more than 25% (27.8% more precisely) of male victims of sexual assault are likely to experience their first assault at age 10 or younger.
16. Almost 40% of adult men who experience sexual violence by an intimate partner have psychological scars on their back.
Reports and studies of rape statistics in the US clearly show that 39.7% of men who have experienced sexual assault by their partner, such as rape, stalking or physical violence, have long-term effects such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other types of mental health injuries.
17. Statistics from New York show that 18% of all rapes in the city were male victims.
According to rape statistics, extensive studies and focus groups, in 2019 there was a record number of male victims of rape in the city, with 18%, which is 5.7% higher than in 2018.
18. More than 80% of sexual assaults are committed by a person close to a victim (family members, teachers, religious leaders, former spouses).
Unfortunately, the list of possible attackers is one of the most common people who have a very intimate relationship with the victim. Rape statistics show that this link often means that most rape victims are reluctant to report rape incidents due to compulsive or emotional pressure.
19. Almost 95% of child victims knew their sexual offender.
Rape statistics from RAINN show that the vast majority (93.98%) of child victims in the US in 2019 were familiar with their attacker. In almost all of these cases, as can be seen from the adolescent sexual assault statistics, the child had spent a significant amount of time (more than 10 hours, full or split duration) with the assailant prior to the sexual assault.
20. The false rape reporting rate in the US is well below the 10% average.
While false allegations of rape do occur, it is important to remember that most allegations of rape are legitimate, as statistics on sexual assault show. In fact, data collected from 2019 false rape statistics shows that a combined 6.9% rate of rape reports was false.
21. Sexual assault costs the United States billions of dollars a year.
The results of sexual assault statistics from universities and other reports show that while sexual assault takes a dire toll on its victims and causes terrible emotional damage, there are other costs that are rarely considered in such tragic events, namely, the costs to society in financial terms.
24.69% of rape victims in the US are women between the ages of 12 and 34. Sexual violence figures for 2019 were significantly higher compared to the sexual assault statistics for 2018. The 1234 age group is known to comprise the majority of rape victims in the US On average for one year.
22. Transgender college students have a 5% higher rape rate than other students.
After conducting statistical studies on sexual assault by gender, US universities reported an increase in sexual assault against transgender students. College rape statistics on transgender, genderqueer, and gender nonconforming (TGQN) students showed that an average of 23% of students were sexually abused in 2019, compared to 18% of non-TGQN students . These statistics are concerning, as they are significantly higher than the 2018 sexual assault statistics, which means that the problem is spiraling out of control.