Who Does Sexual Violence Impact?

Sexual violence cruelly impacts people from all walks of life. Survivors represent every age group, race, gender identity, and religion. It’s important to acknowledge that people with disabilities are disproportionately affected.

To provide some sobering statistics:

• Nearly 1 in 5 women in the United States have, at some point in their lives, experienced the trauma of rape or attempted rape.
• In the United States, 1 in 71 men have also endured the devastating experience of rape or attempted rape.

It’s crucial to underscore the disproportionate impact of sexual violence on certain racial and ethnic groups:

• An estimated 32.3% of multiracial women, 27.5% of American Indian/Alaska Native women, 21.2% of non-Hispanic Black women, 20.5% of non-Hispanic White women, and 13.6% of Hispanic women have experienced the violation of rape during their lifetimes.  

A particularly heartbreaking reality is that survivors often know the person who inflicts this harm upon them.

• Individuals who perpetrate sexual abuse often target someone they know, exploiting existing trust or relationships.
• Tragically, nearly three out of four adolescents (74%) who have been sexually assaulted were victimized by someone they knew well – a stark reminder of how close to home this issue often is.
• An especially painful truth: one-fifth (21.1%) were victimized by a family member, a betrayal that shatters the foundation of safety and love.

It is absolutely essential to emphasize, with unwavering conviction, that victims are never, ever at fault.

• The choice to commit sexual violence lies solely with the perpetrator. There are no excuses, no justifications. It is never, under any circumstances, caused or deserved by factors such as “drinking too much,” “trying to have a good time,” “getting carried away,” what someone was wearing, how they were acting, or the type of relationship they had with the person who abused them. Violating another person is a conscious, deliberate, and reprehensible choice.