Rape and sexual assault are the least often reported violent crimes.
1 in 3 American women will be sexually abused during their lifetime. (George Mason University, Worldwide Sexual Assault Statistics, 2005)
Certain actions reduce the risk of rape more than 80 % compared to nonresistance. The most effective actions, according to victims, are attacking or struggling against their attacker, running away, and verbally warning the attacker. (2008 National Institute of Justice)
Even when a rape was completed, women who used some form of resistance had better mental health outcomes than those who did not resist. (2002 National Institute of Justice)
1 in 4 women and 1 in 6 men will be sexually assaulted before the age of 18. (Finkelhor et al., 1990)
9% of all rape victims outside of criminal institutions are male (but men are much less likely than women to report occurrences). (U.S. Department of Justice,1994)
83.1% of stalking incidents were NOT reported to police or campus law enforcement. (2006 survey from the Department of Justice)
About 85 to 90 percent of sexual assaults reported by college women are perpetrated by someone known to the victim; about half occur on a date. (2008 National Institute of Justice)
More than 35 percent said they did not report the incident (sexual assault) because they were unclear as to whether a crime was committed or that harm was intended. (2008 National Institute of Justice)
On March 7, 2013, President Obama signed into law the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013.