Understanding the Scope of Sexual Violence

• Every two minutes, somewhere in America, someone is sexually assaulted (U.S. Department of Justice, 2004).
• One out of every six American women have been the victim of an attempted or completed rape in their lifetime (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1998).
• In 2002, seven out of every eight rape victims were women (National Crime Victimization Survey [NCVS], 2002).
• In 2002, one out of every eight rape victims was male (NCVS, 2002).
• Women of color are about 10% more likely to be attacked than white women (NCVS, 2000).
• The United States has the world's highest rape rate of all countries that publish such statistics. The U.S. rape rate is 4 times higher than Germany's, 13 times higher than England's, and 20 times higher than Japan's (U.S. Department of Justice).
• One out of every four rapes takes place in a public place or parking garage (U.S. Department of Justice).
• In incidents of campus sexual assaults, alcohol is involved in over 90% of campus rapes (U.S. Department of Justice).
• Overall, rape has the highest annual victim cost of ANY crime, yet laws and successful criminal prosecutions remain inconsistent and confounding (U.S. Department of Justice, 2004).
• Today, more than 95% of all reported incidents of sexual assault and rape are committed by men (U.S. Bureau of Statistics, 2004). This does not mean that all men rape, but it does stress the importance of involving men in gender education and training.