| Myth #1: Victims
provoke sexual assaults when they dress provocatively
or act in a promiscuous manner.
Fact: Rape and sexual assault are crimes of violence
and control that stem from a person's determination
to exercise power over another. Neither provocative
dress nor promiscuous behavior are invitations for
unwanted sexual activity. Forcing someone to engage
in non-consensual sexual activity is sexual assault,
regardless of the way that person dresses or acts.
Myth #2: If a person goes to someone's room or
house or goes to a bar, she assumes the risk of
sexual assault. If something happens later, she
can't claim that she was raped or sexually assaulted
because she should have known not to go to those
places.
Fact: This "assumption of risk" wrongfully
places the responsibility of the offender's actions
with the victim. Even if a person went voluntarily
to someone's residence or room and consented to
engage in some sexual activity, it does not serve
as a blanket consent for all sexual activity. If
a person is unsure about whether the other person
is comfortable with an elevated level of sexual
activity, the person should stop and ask. When someone
says "No" or "Stop", that means
STOP. Sexual activity forced upon another without
consent is sexual assault.
Myth #3: It's not sexual assault if it happens
after drinking or taking drugs.
Fact: Being under the influence of alcohol or drugs
is not an invitation for non-consensual sexual activity.
A person under the influence of drugs or alcohol
does not cause others to assault her; others choose
to take advantage of the situation and sexually
assault her because she is in a vulnerable position.
Many state laws hold that a person who is cognitively
impaired due to the influence of drugs or alcohol
is not able to consent to sexual activity. The act
of an offender who deliberately uses alcohol as
a means to subdue someone in order to engage in
non-consensual sexual activity is also criminal.
Myth #4: Most sexual assaults are committed by
strangers. It's not rape if the people involved
knew each other.
Fact: Most sexual assaults and rapes are committed
by someone the victim knows. Among victims aged
18 to 29, two-thirds had a prior relationship with
the offender(1). During 2000, about six in ten rape
or sexual assault victims stated the offender was
an intimate, other relative, a friend or an acquaintance(2).
A study of sexual victimization of college women
showed that most victims knew the person who sexually
victimized them. For both completed and attempted
rapes, about 9 in 10 offenders were known to the
victim(3). Most often, a boyfriend, ex-boyfriend,
classmate, friend, acquaintance, or co-worker sexually
victimized the women(4). Sexual assault can be committed
within any type of relationship, including in marriage,
in dating relationships, or by friends, acquaintances
or co-workers. Sexual assault can occur in heterosexual
or same-gender relationships. It does not matter
whether there is a current or past relationship
between the victim and offender; unwanted sexual
activity is still sexual assault and is a serious
crime.
Myth #5: Rape can be avoided if women avoid dark
alleys or other "dangerous" places where
strangers might be hiding or lurking.
Fact: Rape and sexual assault can occur at any time,
in many places, to anyone. According to a report
based on FBI data, almost 70% of sexual assault
reported to law enforcement occurred in the residence
of the victim, the offender, or another individual(5).
As pointed out above in Fact #4, many rapes are
committed by people known to the victim. While prudent,
avoiding dark alleys or "dangerous" places
will not necessarily protect someone from being
sexually assaulted.
Myth #6: A person who has really been sexually
assaulted will be hysterical.
Fact: Victims of sexual violence exhibit a spectrum
of responses to the assault which can include: calm,
hysteria, withdrawal, anger, apathy, denial, and
shock. Being sexually assaulted is a very traumatic
experience. Reactions to the assault and the length
of time needed to process through the experience
vary with each person. There is no "right way"
to react to being sexually assaulted. Assumptions
about a way a victim "should act" may
be detrimental to the victim because each victim
copes with the trauma of the assault in different
ways which can also vary over time.
Myth #7: All sexual assault victims will report
the crime immediately to the police. If they do
not report it or delay in reporting it, then they
must have changed their minds after it happened,
wanted revenge, or didn't want to look like they
were sexually active.
Fact: There are many reasons why a sexual assault
victim may not report the assault to the police.
It is not easy to talk about being sexually assaulted.
The experience of re-telling what happened may cause
the person to relive the trauma. Other reasons for
not immediately reporting the assault or not reporting
it at all include fear of retaliation by the offender,
fear of not being believed, fear of being blamed
for the assault, fear of being "revictimized"
if the case goes through the criminal justice system,
belief that the offender will not be held accountable,
wanting to forget the assault ever happened, not
recognizing that what happened was sexual assault,
shame, and/or shock. In fact, reporting a sexual
assault incident to the police is the exception
and not the norm. From 1993 to 1999, about 70% of
rape and sexual assault crimes were not reported
to the police(6). Because a person did not immediately
report an assault or chooses not to report it at
all does not mean that the assault did not happen.
Victims can report a sexual assault to criminal
justice authorities at any time, whether it be immediately
after the assault or within weeks, months, or even
years after the assault. Criminal justice authorities
can move forward with a criminal case, so long as
the incident is reported within the jurisdiction's
statute of limitations. Each state has different
statutes of limitations that apply to the crimes
of rape and sexual assault. Statutes of limitations
provide for the time period in which criminal justice
authorities can charge an individual with a crime
for a particular incident. If you have any questions
about your state's statute of limitations, you can
call your local police department, prosecutor's
office, local sexual assault victim services program,
or state sexual assault coalition.
Myth #8: Only young, pretty women are assaulted.
Fact: The belief that only young, pretty women are
sexually assaulted stems from the myth that sexual
assault is based on sex and physical attraction.
Sexual assault is a crime of power and control and
offenders often choose people whom they perceive
as most vulnerable to attack or over whom they believe
they can assert power. Sexual assault victims come
from all walks of life. They can range in age from
the very old to the very young. Many victims of
sexual violence are under 12. Sixty-seven percent
of all victims of sexual assault reported to law
enforcement agencies were juveniles (under the age
of 18); 34% of all victims were under age 12. One
of every seven victims of sexual assault reported
to law enforcement agencies were under age 6.(7)
Men and boys are sexually assaulted. Persons with
disabilities are also sexually assaulted. Assumptions
about the "typical" sexual assault victim
may further isolate those victimized because they
may feel they will not be believed if they do not
share the characteristics of the stereotypical sexual
assault victim.
Myth #9: It's only rape if the victim puts up
a fight and resists.
Fact: Many states do not require a victim to resist
in order to charge the offender with rape or sexual
assault. In addition, there are many reasons why
a victim of sexual assault would not fight or resist
her attacker. She may feel that fighting or resisting
will make her attacker angry, resulting in more
severe injury. She may not fight or resist as a
coping mechanism for dealing with the trauma of
being sexually assaulted. Many law enforcement experts
say that victims should trust their instincts and
intuition and do what they think is most likely
to keep them alive. Not fighting or resisting an
attack does not equal consent. It may mean it was
the best way she knew how to protect herself from
further injury.
Myth #10: Someone can only be sexually assaulted
if a weapon was involved.
Fact: In many cases of sexual assault, a weapon
is not involved. The offender often uses physical
strength, physical violence, intimidation, threats,
or a combination of these tactics to overpower the
victim. As pointed out in Fact #4, most sexual assaults
are perpetrated by someone known to the victim.
An offender often uses the victim's trust developed
through their relationship to create an opportunity
to commit the sexual assault. In addition, the offender
may have intimate knowledge about the victim's life,
such as where she lives, where she works, where
she goes to school, or information about her family
and friends. This enhances the credibility of any
threats made by the offender since he has the knowledge
about her life to carry them out. Although the presence
of a weapon while committing the assault may result
in a higher penalty or criminal charge, the absence
of a weapon does not mean that the offender cannot
be held criminally responsible for a sexual assault.
Myth #11: Rape is mostly an inter-racial crime.
Fact: The vast majority of violent crimes, which
include sexual assaults and rapes, are intra-racial,
meaning the victim and the offender are of the same
race(8). This is not true, however, for rapes and
sexual assaults committed against Native women.
American Indian victims reported that approximately
8 in 10 rapes or sexual assaults were perpetrated
by whites(9). Native women also experience a higher
rate of sexual assault victimization than any other
race(10).
If you or someone you know is a victim of sexual
assault and would like information about help in
your area, please call your state sexual assault
coalition or local sexual assault victim services
program for referrals and information on available
services.
Notes
1. Greenfeld, Lawrence A., Sex Offenses and Offenders:
An Analysis of Data on Rape and Sexual Assault,
Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau
of Justice Statistics (1997).
2. Bureau of Justice Statistics, Crime Characteristics:
Violent Crime - Victim/Offender Relationship (last
revised Dec. 20, 2001) <http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/cvict_c.htm>.
3. Fisher, Bonnie S., Francis T. Cullen and Michael
G. Turner, The Sexual Victimization of College
Women Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice,
National Institute of Justice and Bureau of Justice
Statistics, NCJ 182369 (December 2000).
4. Id.
5. Snyder, Howard N., Sexual Assault of Young
Children as Reported to Law Enforcement: Victim,
Incident, and Offender Characteristics, Washington,
DC: American Statistical Association and U.S.
Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics,
NCJ 182990 (July 2000).
6. Rennison, Callie M., National Crime Victimization
Survey, Criminal Victimization 2000: Changes 1999-2000
with Trends 1993-2000, Washington, DC: U.S. Department
of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, NCJ
187007 (June 2001)
7. Id.
8. Rennison, Callie M., Violent Victimization
and Race, 1993-98, Washington, DC: U.S. Department
of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, NCJ
176354 (March 2001)
9. Greenfeld, Lawrence A. and Steven K. Smith,
American Indians and Crime, Washington, DC: U.S.
Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics,
NCJ 173386 (February 1999)
10. Id.
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