Survivor Resources : Statistics

Somewhere in America, a woman is sexually assaulted every 2 minutes, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

In 1996, 307,000 women were the victim of rape, attempted rape or sexual assault. [National Crime Victimization Survey. Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice, 1997.]

Between 1995 and 1996, more than 670,000 women were the victim of rape, attempted rape or sexual assault. [National Crime Victimization Survey. Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice, 1997.]

In 1996, only 31% of rapes and sexual assaults were reported to law enforcement officials - less than one in every three. [National Crime Victimization Survey. Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice, 1997.]

Approximately 68% of rape victims knew their assailant. [Violence against Women. Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Dept. of Justice, 1994]

Approximately 28% of victims are raped by husbands or boyfriends, 35% by acquaintances, and 5% by other relatives. [Violence against Women. Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Dept. of Justice, 1994]

One of every four rapes take place in a public area or in a parking garage.

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.

At least 45% of rapists were under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

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.

In 1995, local child protective service agencies identified 126,000 children who were victims of either substantiated or indicated sexual abuse; of these, 75% were girls.

Nearly 30% of child victims were between the ages of 4 and 7. [Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Child Maltreatment, 1995.]

Approximately one-third of all juvenile victims of sexual abuse cases are children younger than 6 years of age. [Violence and the Family. Report of the American Psychological Association Presidential Task Force on Violence and the Family, 1996.]

According to the Justice Department, one in two rape victims is under age 18; one in six is under age 12. [Child Rape Victims, 1992. U.S. Department of Justice.]

About 81% of rape victims are white; 18% are black; 1% are of other races. [Violence against Women, Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Dept. of Justice, 1994.]

While 9 out of 10 rape victims are women, men and boys are also victimized by this crime. In 1995, 32,130 males age 12 and older were victims of rape, attempted rape or sexual assault. [National Crime Victimization Survey. Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice, 1996.]

Teens 16 to 19 were three and one-half times more likely than the general population to be victims of rape, attempted rape or sexual assault. [National Crime Victimization Survey. Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice, 1996.]

Those with a household income under $7,500 were twice as likely as the general population to be victims of a sexual assault. [National Crime Victimization Survey. Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice, 1996.]

It is estimated that before the age of 18 at least 1 in 4 females and 1 in 6 males will have suffered from some form of sexual abuse.

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