According to the NH Violence Against Women Survey:
Nearly one in four women have been the victim of sexual assault at some point in their lifetime. Nearly a fifth of New Hampshire women were the victim of sexual assault with penetration.
Sexual violence is a crime in which youth are particularly at risk. Forty one percent of the most recent sexual assaults reported in this survey occurred before the victim's 18th birthday, and 83% occurred before the age of 25.
The majority of the victims of sexual and/or physical violence knew the perpetrator of their most recent assault.
Consistent with other research, women reporting multiple types of abuse also reported poorer physical health. Women who report having a chronic disease or medical condition were more likely to report sexual and physical violence than women who do not report having a chronic disease or medical condition.
Sexual Assault in the U.S.
According to the Department of Justice statistics a sexual assault occurs every 2.5 minutes in this country.i
A national survey found that 1 in 33 men experienced a completed or attempted rape at some point in their lifetime.ii
In 2004, 35.8% of rapes and sexual assaults were reported to the police. Among female victims of rape and sexual assault, 67% of the crimes were committed by intimates, other relatives, friends or acquaintances.iii
Between one-third and one-half of all battered women are raped by their partners at least once during their relationship.iv
The age at which a female is at greatest risk for rape or sexual assault is 14.v
According to the results of a 2003 national survey of students in ninth through 12th grades, 9% of students had been physically forced to have sexual intercourse.vi
Among college students nationwide, between 20% and 25% of women reported experiencing completed or attempted rape.vii
There is a relationship between victimization as a minor and subsequent victimization: Women who reported they were raped before age 18 were twice as likely to report being raped as an adult. viii
The Impact of Sexual Assault
Victims of Sexual Assault are:
- Three times more likely to suffer from depression
- Four times more likely to be suicidal
- Six times more likely to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Twenty-six times more likely to abuse drugs.ix
According to the Incidence and Economic Burden of Injuries in the United States sexual violence cost the nation $187 billion in 2000, 55% of that, involving victims under the age of 25. These costs were more than the cost of impaired driving ($114 Billion).x
Statistics compiled by the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence from the following sources:
i RAINN calculation based on USDOJ NCVS data.
ii Tjaden, Patricia, Thoennes, Nancy. November 2000. Full Report of the Prevalence, Incidence, and Consequences of Violence Against Women: Findings from the National Violence Against Women Survey. U.S. DOJ, National Institute of Justice.
iii Catalano, Shannon M. September 2005. Criminal Victimization, 2004. Washington, DC: US Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics
iv Campbell, J.C., and P. Alford. "The Dark Consequences of Marital Rape." American Journal of Nursing 89(7)(July 1989): 946–949. Bergen, R.K. Wife Rape: Understanding the Responses of Survivors and Service Providers. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 1996, NCJ 161831
v Snyder, H.N.(2000) Sexual assault of young children as reported to law enforcement. U.S. DOJ, Bureau of Justice Statistics
vi Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance, United States 2003. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. May 2004
vii Fisher, B., Cullen, F., Turner, M. The Sexual Victimization of College Women, 2000.
viiiSee ii
ix World Health Organization (2002) The World Report on Violence and Health.
x Finkelstein EA, Corso PS, Miller TR, Associates. Incidence and Economic Burden of Injuries in the United States. New York: Oxford University Press; 2006.