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Extent, Nature, and Consequences of Rape Victimization: Findings from the National Violence Against Women Survey
The NIJ reports that more than 300,000 women and almost 93,000 men are raped annually, according to this survey. Researchers found differences in rape prevalence relating to age, gender and race/ethnicity, as well as other factors such as whether the victims were first raped as minors. 40+ page pdf file.
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Shamed Into Silence Scores of Hmong girls in Minnesota have been raped or forced into prostitution over the past several years. Many of their attackers are Hmong gang members who go unpunished because shame keeps their victims from coming forward. Records show that the girls have been raped at farms, in motel rooms, basements, garages and closets. Some were threatened at gunpoint. For a girl to lose her virginity before marriage, no matter what the circumstances, is a violation of Hmong culture and would bring shame to the girl's family if they found out. Secrecy and shame keep victims from coming forward. ++++++++++ Stop Prisoner Rape Website for SPR, an organization that seeks to end sexual violence committed against men, women, and youth in all forms of detention. Information and resources on the site includes fact sheets, special reports, research, and resources. Click here to read Juveniles in Adult Facilities are Vulnerable to Sexual Assault. From that fact sheet: Male victims of prisoner rape are most often young, nonviolent, first-time offenders who are small, weak, shy, and inexperienced in the ways of prison life. Studies suggest that a typical male prison rapist chooses a victim on the basis of “the weakness and inability of the victim to defend himself.” Among female inmates, who are most typically abused by correctional staff, youth is also a risk factor for being victimized.
++++++++++ Statutory Rape Known to Law Enforcement At a national level, the incidence of statutory rape is relatively unknown. However, the FBI’s NIBRS System National Incident-based Reporting System) captures a broad range of information reported to participating law enforcement agencies throughout the country which teaches about the victims and offenders in statutory rape incidents. This report characterizes victim and offender attributes and law enforcement responses to incidents of statutory rape. Highlights of the report’s findings: In 2000, there was 1 statutory rape for every 3 forcible rapes involving a juvenile victim reported to law enforcement. Most (95%) statutory rape victims were females. Regardless of victim gender, almost 3 of every 5 victims of statutory rape were age 14 or 15, with relatively equal proportions in each of these ages. Three of every 10 statutory rape offenders were boyfriends or girlfriends and 6 in 10 were acquaintances. An arrest occurred in 42% of statutory rape incidents with the probability of arrest declining as victim age increased.
++++++++++ Sexual Violence in Prisons is Reported in Juvenile Prisons at a Rate 10 Times that of Adult Facilities
A government study released July 31, 2005, found 10 reported incidents for every 2,000 youths at state-run juvenile facilities. Sexual assaults and other illicit sexual contacts are reported at juvenile prisons 10 times more frequently than at adult prisons. Better reporting was one factor contributing to the higher rate at the juvenile prisons. State laws require staff members to report sexual accusations involving minors.
In 2004, more than 8,200 accusations of sexual violence were reported to corrections officials. About one-third of the complaints were substantiated, and 15 percent were still being investigated. The Bureau of Justice Statistics looked at more than 2,700 prisons holding 1.7 million inmates – 80 percent of the prison population. Click on the link above to read the story.
Click here to listen to an NPR report on the study.
++++++++++ School Bus Sexual Assaults
Experts say that sexual assaults on school buses, one of the fastest-growing forms of school violence, seldom register as a safety concern. Administrators, teachers and bus drivers say the nature and frequency of the attacks are increasing, and at younger ages. The victims are as young as 6; the attackers as young as 8. ++++++++++ We Survived Rape The Chicago Tribune reports on the Voices and Faces Project, a special web site for rape victims intended �to give a voice and a face to survivors of sexual violence, offering a sense of solidarity and possibility to those who have lived through abuse, while raising awareness of how sexual violence impacts victims, families and communities. See particularly the special section on rape myths and statistics at the Voices and Faces web site. ++++++++++ Rape Principal Fired for Failing to Report Sex Assault Case A high school principal in Columbus, Ohio, has been fired and three assistant principals suspended without pay because they failed to notify the police last month about accusations that a 16-year-old special education student had been sexually assaulted in the school auditorium by a group of boys, one of whom videotaped the incident. ++++++++++ A Demographic Portrait of Statutory Rape Data brief summarizing newly available data from the 2002 National Survey of Family Growth. Contains information on prevalence, family risk factors, problem behaviors associated with statutory rape. Two page pdf file packed with data. ++++++++++ New Tool Against Date Rape Connecticut state police have adopted a new test kit designed to help authorities investigate cases of date rape. The new test kit, which analyzes blood and urine for traces of various prescription and over-the-counter drugs, will standardize the way that police and medical workers respond to rape complaints. ++++++++++ Searching for Angela Shelton In this movie, filmmaker Angela Shelton set out to meet every other Angela Shelton in America. She intended to survey the thoughts and perceptions of modern American women. In the process she discovered that, like herself, 16 out of the 32 Angela Sheltons she found had been raped, beaten, or molested. CBS’s 48 Hours featured a special episode on the making of this documentary. Searching for Angela Shelton is now available for sale on both DVD and VHS. Click here: ++++++++++ Rape in a Small Town The Providence Journal ( Rhode Island ) was awarded the 2004 Dart Award for Excellence in Reporting on Victims of Violence for a study of the effects of the rape of a teenager on a small Rhode Island community. The story details a year and a half in the life of Laura, a girl who was raped by a popular classmate during her sophomore year at Burrillville High School . The Providence Journal ( Rhode Island ) was awarded the for . The story details a year and a half in the life of Laura, a girl who was raped by a popular classmate during her sophomore year at Burrillville High School . The Providence Journal ( Rhode Island ) was awarded the for . The story details a year and a half in the life of Laura, a girl who was raped by a popular classmate during her sophomore year at Burrillville High School . Even after her attacker had been found guilty and sentenced, Laura continued to face harassment and bullying by peers who blamed her for dividing the community and derailing the future of her attacker. +++++++++ Teens in Hazing Case May Stand Trial as Adults Three members of the Mepham High School football team in Bellmore , New York , on Long Island will stand trial as adults on sexual assault charges related to the alleged sodomy of their young teammates if the district attorney for Wayne County is successful in petitioning the court. The three have been suspended from school and the school board has cancelled the school’s football season after it was determined that most of the football team knew of the attacks but did not report them. The team was attending a football camp in Pennsylvania in August when the hazing took place. The varsity players will stand trial for allegations that they sodomized three junior varsity players with broomsticks, pine cones and golf balls as part of a hazing ritual. The alleged victims are a 13-year-old and two 14-year-olds. ++++++++++ Rape in Rural Areas An article in Women’s ENews reports that research shows rural women at high risk of rape and low likelihood or reporting it. A report by the national Sexual Violence Resource Center in Enola , Penn. , with funding from the CDCP, finds that sexual assault outside cities and suburbs is possibly more prevalent but less likely to be reported, contrary to federal statistics showing higher assault rates in urban areas. An article in Women’s ENews reports that A report by the national Sexual Violence Resource Center in Enola , Penn. , with funding from the CDCP, finds , contrary to federal statistics showing higher assault rates in urban areas. An article in Women’s ENews reports that A report by the national Sexual Violence Resource Center in Enola , Penn. , with funding from the CDCP, finds , contrary to federal statistics showing higher assault rates in urban areas. A report on this research, Unspoken Crimes: Sexual Assault in Rural America, is available online. It is about 25 pages in length and downloadable. ++++++++++ Reported Rape Up 4% in 2002 and That’s Probably Good News Rape jumped 4% in 2002, according to FBI statistics. A survey by the Bureau of Justice Statistics says that women are coming forward in record numbers to report rape and sexual assault. Victim advocates say this shows that more victims trust law enforcers to respond seriously to the charge. BJS says that more than half of all sexual assault victims are coming forward for the first time since the bureau began collecting rape data 30 years ago. From 1993 to 1995 only 30.8% of rape and sexual assault victims reported their attacks. Last year more than 53% came forward. ++++++++++ We Survived Rape The Chicago Tribune reports on the Voices and Faces Project, a special web site for rape victims intended �to give a voice and a face to survivors of sexual violence, offering a sense of solidarity and possibility to those who have lived through abuse, while raising awareness of how sexual violence impacts victims, families and communities. See particularly the special section on rape myths and statistics at the Voices and Faces web site. ++++++++++ Rape Principal Fired for Failing to Report Sex Assault Case A high school principal in Columbus, Ohio, has been fired and three assistant principals suspended without pay because they failed to notify the police last month about accusations that a 16-year-old special education student had been sexually assaulted in the school auditorium by a group of boys, one of whom videotaped the incident. ++++++++++ A Demographic Portrait of Statutory Rape Data brief summarizing newly available data from the 2002 National Survey of Family Growth. Contains information on prevalence, family risk factors, problem behaviors associated with statutory rape. Two page pdf file packed with data. ++++++++++ New Tool Against Date Rape Connecticut state police have adopted a new test kit designed to help authorities investigate cases of date rape. The new test kit, which analyzes blood and urine for traces of various prescription and over-the-counter drugs, will standardize the way that police and medical workers respond to rape complaints. ++++++++++ Searching for Angela Shelton In this movie, filmmaker Angela Shelton set out to meet every other Angela Shelton in America. She intended to survey the thoughts and perceptions of modern American women. In the process she discovered that, like herself, 16 out of the 32 Angela Sheltons she found had been raped, beaten, or molested. CBS’s 48 Hours featured a special episode on the making of this documentary. Searching for Angela Shelton is now available for sale on both DVD and VHS. Click here: ++++++++++ Rape in a Small Town The Providence Journal ( Rhode Island ) was awarded the 2004 Dart Award for Excellence in Reporting on Victims of Violence for a study of the effects of the rape of a teenager on a small Rhode Island community. The story details a year and a half in the life of Laura, a girl who was raped by a popular classmate during her sophomore year at Burrillville High School . The Providence Journal ( Rhode Island ) was awarded the for . The story details a year and a half in the life of Laura, a girl who was raped by a popular classmate during her sophomore year at Burrillville High School . Even after her attacker had been found guilty and sentenced, Laura continued to face harassment and bullying by peers who blamed her for dividing the community and derailing the future of her attacker. +++++++++ Teens in Hazing Case May Stand Trial as Adults Three members of the Mepham High School football team in Bellmore , New York , on Long Island will stand trial as adults on sexual assault charges related to the alleged sodomy of their young teammates if the district attorney for Wayne County is successful in petitioning the court. The three have been suspended from school and the school board has cancelled the school’s football season after it was determined that most of the football team knew of the attacks but did not report them. The team was attending a football camp in Pennsylvania in August when the hazing took place. The varsity players will stand trial for allegations that they sodomized three junior varsity players with broomsticks, pine cones and golf balls as part of a hazing ritual. The alleged victims are a 13-year-old and two 14-year-olds. ++++++++++ Rape in Rural Areas An article in Women’s ENews reports that research shows rural women at high risk of rape and low likelihood or reporting it. A report by the national Sexual Violence Resource Center in Enola , Penn. , with funding from the CDCP, finds that sexual assault outside cities and suburbs is possibly more prevalent but less likely to be reported, contrary to federal statistics showing higher assault rates in urban areas. An article in Women’s ENews reports that A report by the national Sexual Violence Resource Center in Enola , Penn. , with funding from the CDCP, finds , contrary to federal statistics showing higher assault rates in urban areas. A report on this research, Unspoken Crimes: Sexual Assault in Rural America, is available online. It is about 25 pages in length and downloadable. ++++++++++ Reported Rape Up 4% in 2002 and That’s Probably Good News Rape jumped 4% in 2002, according to FBI statistics. A survey by the Bureau of Justice Statistics says that women are coming forward in record numbers to report rape and sexual assault. Victim advocates say this shows that more victims trust law enforcers to respond seriously to the charge. BJS says that more than half of all sexual assault victims are coming forward for the first time since the bureau began collecting rape data 30 years ago. From 1993 to 1995 only 30.8% of rape and sexual assault victims reported their attacks. Last year more than 53% came forward. ++++++++++ |
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