Sexual Assault Awareness Month 2012 Sexual Assault 101 Shatter the silence of sexual violence!

Shatter the Silence of Sexual Violence! Overview Welcome to SAAM 2012 History of Sexual Assault Awareness Month Sexual Violence Defined Myths, Statistics and Definitions of SV Your Role in Making a Difference – Empowerment, Prevention, Intervention

Shatter the Silence of Sexual Violence! Welcome to SAAM 2012!

Shatter the Silence of Sexual Violence! SAAM 2012 Events Check out PAVE’s website for a complete list of our sponsored SAAM Events. Check your State’s Coalition against sexual assault or local SV/DV resource centers for events in your community. You can also see a complete list of national events at the National Sexual Violence Resource Center’s website : or

Shatter the Silence of Sexual Violence! History of Sexual Assault Awareness Month National Sexual Violence Resource Center First held nationally in April 2001 Roots in Take Back The Night 1970s London

Shatter the Silence of Sexual Violence! WHAT IS SEXUAL VIOLENCE Myths, Definitions and Statistics

Shatter the Silence of Sexual Violence! Sexual Violence Defined Importance of understanding the definition Any act sexual in nature, whether verbal or physical, that breaks a person’s trust, violates their safety, or impedes upon their sexual autonomy. Sexual violence includes and is not limited to sexual harassment, sexual assault and rape. It also does not specify a gender or age and can be understood to encompass domestic violence or any violence based on one’s sexual identity.

Shatter the Silence of Sexual Violence! Sexual Violence Defined Sexual Harassment Any unwanted attention or advances regarding sexual gratification, favors or other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature Sexual Assault A spectrum of sexual violence including any sexual contact or activity without consent Rape Any penetration (vaginal, anal, oral) with anything (penis, fingers, objects) done without consent

Shatter the Silence of Sexual Violence! Sexual Violence Defined Coercion Any form of significant pressure employed to overcome one’s ability to freely and willingly consent, such as by use of threats, blackmail, imprisonment, etc. Consent – YES MEANS YES! A clearly and freely given word or overt action confirming a willing desire towards and limited to a specific sexual request or experience; consent cannot be obtained from minors or individuals whom are mentally impaired, including impairment by intoxication through drugs or alcohol (voluntarily or involuntarily); it is also an affirmative response, not a lack of one.

Shatter the Silence of Sexual Violence! Myths about Sexual Violence Myth: Most sexual assaults are committed by strangers. Fact: 60% – 80% of all sexual assaults are committed by someone the victim knows (i.e. a relative, friend, neighbor, or acquaintance). 85% of reported child sexual assaults are by someone known and trusted by the child. The attacks occur most frequently in the victim’s home or in the car.

Shatter the Silence of Sexual Violence! Myths about Sexual Violence Myth: The primary motive for sexual assault is sex. Fact: Studies show that the motive for the sexual assault is power and aggression, not sex and that most perpetrators have consenting sexual partners (i.e. boyfriends, girlfriends, husbands, wives). Sexual assault is a crime of violence, committed by a person who uses sex as a weapon.

Shatter the Silence of Sexual Violence! Myths about Sexual Violence Myth: A husband/wife cannot sexually assault their partner. Fact: If a spouse forces his or her mate to have sex, then it is a sexual assault, and it is a crime. Studies show that 1 out of 7 women are sexually assaulted by their husbands. A person convicted of Spousal Sexual Battery can be sentenced up to 10 years in jail.

Shatter the Silence of Sexual Violence! Myths about Sexual Violence Myth: Only women are sexually assaulted. Fact: One out of every 10 men is a victim of sexual assault, and 1 out of six boys will be sexually abused by age 18. Males are socialized to not be vulnerable and not identify themselves as victims

Shatter the Silence of Sexual Violence! Myths about Sexual Violence Myth: If a victim experiences sexual arousal or orgasm from sexual abuse, this means he/she was a willing participant or enjoyed it. Fact: Sexual arousal or orgasmic response does not mean that positive emotions or consent were involved. It simply means that the body reacted. The act of abuse assumes or disregards a victim’s feelings. A person can have an erection or an orgasm even when he/she is afraid.

Shatter the Silence of Sexual Violence! Myths about Sexual Violence Myth: A rapist is easy to spot in a crowd. Fact: A rapist could be your neighbor, relative, boyfriend, girlfriend, cable person, husband, wife or stranger. The fact is they can be of any race, color or socio-economic status.

Shatter the Silence of Sexual Violence! Myths about Sexual Violence Myth: Most sexual assaults are committed by strangers. Fact: 60% – 80% of all sexual assaults are committed by someone the victim knows (i.e. a relative, friend, neighbor, or acquaintance). 85% of reported child sexual assaults are by someone known and trusted by the child. The attacks occur most frequently in the victim’s home or in the car.

Shatter the Silence of Sexual Violence! Myths About Sexual Violence Myth: If a victim doesn’t scream or fight, it is not a sexual assault. Fact: The perpetrator’s primary weapon is fear. Through threats of bodily injury or death, the victim is terrorized into cooperation or immobilized by fear. A victim does not have to have bruises, cuts or any other physical injury to prove that she has been sexually assaulted. Submission is not consent; it is against the victim’s will.

Shatter the Silence of Sexual Violence! Myths about Sexual Violence Myth: Women “cry rape” to get back at men. Fact: Fact: Less than 5% of reported sexual assaults are false accusations.

Shatter the Silence of Sexual Violence! Myths about Sexual Violence Myth: Sexual Assault could never happen to me. Fact: This is false. Your mother, father, daughter, son, girlfriend, boyfriend, neighbor, sister, brother or coworker and you could become a sexual assault victim. All people are potential sexual assault victims, regardless of age, race, religion, occupation, education or physical description. Studies report that 1 out of every 3 women and 1 out of every 6 men will be a victim of some type of sexual violence during their lifetime.

Shatter the Silence of Sexual Violence! The Facts about Sexual Violence Sexual Assault General Statistics Every 2 minutes, someone in the U.S. is sexually assaulted (US Dept of Justice) 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys are sexually assaulted before age 18 ( Finkelhor, 1992) 17.7 million women in the United States have been the victim of a rape or attempted rape at some point in their lives. (National Institute of Justice and the Centers for Disease Control; Research in Brief, Findings from the National Violence Against Women Survey. November, 1998). One study found that 34% of sexual assaults occurred when victims were less than 12 years old; 33% occurred between the ages of 12-17; and 14% occurred between the ages of (Sexual Assault of Young Children as Reported to Law enforcement: Victim, Incident, and Offender Characteristics. U.S. Department of Justice Statistics, 2000).

Shatter the Silence of Sexual Violence! The Facts about Sexual Violence Child Sexual Abuse 67% of all victims of sexual assault reported to law enforcement were juveniles under the age of 18. More than half (34%) of these victims were under the age of 12. (Sexual Assault of Young Children as Reported to Law Enforcement: Victim, Incident, and Offender Characteristics. U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2000). Females comprised 82% of all juvenile victims. 73% of female victims were under the age of % of female victims were under the age of 6. (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2000). In 1999, 47% of child sex offenders were related to the victim, 49% were acquaintances, and 4% were strangers. (Juvenile Offenders and Victims 1999 National Report. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, 1999).

Shatter the Silence of Sexual Violence! The Facts about Sexual Violence Male Sexual Assault In 2002, one in every eight rape victims were male. [NCVS 2002 ] About three percent of American men —- a total of 2.78 million men—have experienced an attempted or completed rape in their lifetime. [Prevalence, Incidence and Consequences of Violence Against Women 1998.] Of sexually abused children in grades five through twelve, 48% of the boys told no one about the abuse—not even a friend or sibling. [Commonwealth Fund Survey of the Health of Adolescent Girls, 1998.] In one study, 98% of males who raped boys reported that they were heterosexual. [ Sexual Abuse of Boys, Journal of the American Medical Association, December 2, 1998]

Shatter the Silence of Sexual Violence! The Facts about Sexual Violence Teen Sexual Assault and Abuse Approximately, 1.8 million adolescents in the United States have been victims of sexual assault. (Kilpatrick, D., Acierno, R., Saunders, B., Resnick, H., Best, C. and Schnurr, P. National Survey of Adolescents Executive Summary. Charlestown, SC: Medical University of South Carolina, National Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center, 1998). 33% of sexual assaults occur when the victim is between the ages of (Sexual Assault of Young Children as Reported to Law Enforcement: Victim, Incident, and Offender Characteristics. U.S. Department of Justice Statistics, 2000). Teens years of age were 3.5 times more likely than the general population to be victims of rape, attempted rape, or sexual assault. (Bureau of Justice Statistics. National Crime Victimization Survey. U.S. Department of Justice, 1996).

Shatter the Silence of Sexual Violence! The Facts about Sexual Violence College Campus Sexual Assault The most vulnerable population for campus rape is freshman girls during the first few months of school. (Neimark, Jill. Out of Bounds, the Truth About Athletes and Rape. Interactivetheater.org, 2000). 1 out of 6 college women have been raped or have been the victim of an attempted rape during the past year. (Weitzman, E., DeJong, W. and Finn, P. Alcohol and Acquaintance Rape: Strategies to Protect Yourself and Each Other. The Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention. U.S. Department of Education, 1999). 1 out of 15 male students raped or attempted to rape a woman during the past year. (Weitzman, E., DeJong, W. and Finn, P. Alcohol and Acquaintance Rape: Strategies to Protect Yourself and Each Other. The Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention. U.S. Department of Education, 1999). Only 5% of undergraduate women reported their sexual assault to police. (Schwartz, M. and Leggett, M. Bad Dates or Emotional Trauma: The Aftermath of Campus Sexual Assault. Violence Against Women, Vol. 5, No. 3, March 1999).

Shatter the Silence of Sexual Violence! Your Role in Making A Difference Everyone has a part in the movement Bystander Intervention Be Aware of Victim Blaming Supporting Survivors in our Lives TALK ABOUT IT! Shatter the Silence of Sexual Violence!

Shatter the Silence of Sexual Violence! This is Not a Women’s Issue, But A Human Issue! It’s Important to Get Men Involved in Being a Part of the Solution…. If you SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING! Stopping Sexual Assault is Everyone’s Business!

Shatter the Silence of Sexual Violence! Bystander Intervention: The willingness to take action and help someone in time of need. Two recent media examples of people failing to intervene include: ① The alleged sexual abuse by Sandusky at Penn State ② Bernie Fine at Syracuse University - Tapes 'reveal his wife watched husband molest boy in their home’ Bernie Fine has lost his job as head basketball coach at Syracuse University amid child abuse allegation

Shatter the Silence of Sexual Violence!

Shatter the Silence of Sexual Violence! Help a Survivor! Studies show that the first person a survivor tells… If that person reacts well, it can greatly help the healing process!

Shatter the Silence of Sexual Violence!

Shatter the Silence of Sexual Violence! That’s it for Today folks! Questions or comments? Upcoming Free SAAM Webinars: Wednesday April 11 th 12pm – 1pm CST Victim Blaming, Supporting a Survivor and Bystander Intervention Wednesday April 18 th 12pm – 1pm CST Sexual Violence in the Media and Gender Identity Wednesday April 25 th 12pm – 1pm CST Healthy Relationships, Reporting and Shattering The Silence 101

Shatter the Silence of Sexual Violence! SAAM