The Myths...The Facts

Myth: Rape doesn't happen very often.
Fact: Every hour 78 women are raped in the United States.

Myth: You are safe at work.
Fact: Over 5,000 women are raped on the job each year in the United States.

Myth: Rape is just "one of those things that happens".
Fact: Rape has a devastating, traumatic effect on it's victims.  Nearly 1/3 of all rape victims will develop rape-related PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) in their lifetimes.

Myth: Real rapes can only be committed by strangers.
Fact: Over half of rape victims know their attacker.

Myth: Women who are raped are usually those who behave or dress in  such a way to make their attacker think they are "fair game.
Fact: No one, ever, deserves to be raped. Victims cannot  suffer the blame for the non-consensual sex.

Myth: Unless an attacker uses a weapon such as a gun or a knife it isn't rape.
Fact: Anytime someone uses force with intercourse non-consensually, it is rape. The force may include alcohol, weapons,  intimidation and emotional blackmail, drugs, or a victim's own diminished  mental capacity.

Myth: Unless a woman fights and struggles against her attacker, it isn't really rape.
Fact: Any sex act forced against another person's will is rape.  It doesn't matter if the victim was able to fight back or not. Many  women are too scared to fight for fear of being hurt even more.

Myth: Husbands can't rape their wives. It's her wifely duty.
Fact: Most battered women have also been victims of rape by their  husbands. Just because you are married doesn't give your partner  the license to force you against your will.

Myth: Women try and accuse men of rape because they had sex, and then changed their minds.
Fact: Rape is one of the most under-reported crimes in the  country. Only 16% of all rapes are ever reported to the police.

Myth: If it is really rape then the victim will report it to the police immediately.
Fact: Most cases are reported quite soon after they have occurred. However, 25% percent are reported more than 24 hours after the  rape happened. Some are even reported many years later.

Myth: "I know she really wanted to have sex so it was ok to  get rough".
Fact: Everyone has the right to say no, to change their minds, or decide not to have sex. It doesn't matter at what  stage "no" means NO.

Myth: Rape is something that only happens to women.
Fact: Men and children are also victims of rape.

Myth: Rape only happens to women who are out late at night.
Fact: Rape happens everywhere. It happens at all hours of the day and night. It  happens  in our homes, in the street, at work, in car parks, in public places as well as in remote places.

The Shocking Statistics

-Somewhere in America, a woman is sexually assaulted every 2 minutes, according to the FBI.
-In 1996, 307,000 women were the victim of rape, attempted rape or sexual assault.
-Between 1995 and 1996, more than 670,000 women were the victim of rape, attempted rape or sexual assault.
-It is estimated that only 16% of rapes and sexual assaults were reported to law enforcement officials - less than one in every six.
-Approximately 68% of rape victims knew their assailant.
-Approximately 28% of victims are raped by husbands or boyfriends, 35% by acquaintances, and 5% by other relatives.
-Teens 16 to 19 were three and one-half times more likely than the general population to be victims of rape.
-One of every four rapes take place in a public area or in a parking garage.
-At least 45% of rapists were under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
-29% of female victims reported that the offender was a stranger.
-68% of rapes occur between the hours of 6 p.m. and 6 a.m.
-In 29% of rapes, the offender used a weapon.
-In 47% of rapes, the victim sustained injuries other than rape injuries.
-75% of female rape victims require medical care after the attack

The statistics above were collected from the National Crime Victimization Survey done by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice and The Violence against Women Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Dept. of Justice.

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