Sexual Assault and Rape

It is important to be educated on sexual assault, ways to support survivors of sexual assault, and the dynamics of victim-blaming attitudes. Sexual assault crosses all genders and ages.

Learn more about sexual assault:

Sexual assault facts

A California Coalition Against Sexual Assault (CALCASA) study surveying more than 6,000 students at 32 colleges and universities in the U.S. indicates that:
  • 1 in 4 women had been victims of rape or attempted rape.
  • 84% of those raped knew their attacker, and 57% of the rapes happened on dates.
  • Only 27% of the women whose sexual assault met the legal definition of rape thought of themselves as rape victims.
  • 42% of the rape victims told no one about the assault, and only 5% reported it to the police
  • About 75% of the men and at least 55% of the women involved in acquaintance rapes had been drinking or taking drugs just before the attack.
  • According to the National Institute of Justice, rape is the costliest crime in the U.S., exacting $86,500 in tangible and intangible costs per victim.
  • Results of a 1997 study of sexual coercion within gay and lesbian relationships indicated that 52% of the total sample reported having experienced at least one incident of sexual coercion. 55% of the gay men and 50% of the lesbians in this study reported unwanted penetration. 33% of the gay men and 32% of the lesbians in this study reported unwanted fondling.
  • In 1992, the National Victim Center reported that 9 out of 10 rapes go unreported.