Mansfield University Home PageMyths and Facts about Sexual Assault
Source: National Coalition Against Sexual Assault
| MYTH | "It can't happen to me." Rape is an isolated, infrequent event that only happens to certain kinds of people: attractive, young women, women who are promiscuous or provocative. |
| FACT | Anyone can be sexually assaulted. Studies show that victims include infants to people in their nineties, people of color, lesbians/gays, people with disabilities, and people from every racial, ethnic, religious, economic and social background. According to a study published by the National Victim Center and the Center for Crime Victims Treatment and Research (1992),approximately 683,000 American women were forcibly raped in 1990. Averaged over time, this comes to 1.3 rapes each minute; 78 each hour; 1,871 each day; 56,916 each month; and 683,000 each year. When the number of female children and males assaulted during that same period are added, it is likely that well over twice that many Americans were sexually assaulted. |
| MYTH | "She asked for it." Women often provoke rape by their own behavior: wearing low-cut or tight clothing, going out alone, staying out late, being drunk, using drugs, kissing, etc. |
| FACT | No ones asks to be sexually assaulted. Nor does anyone's behavior justify or excuse the crime. People have a right to be safe from a sexual violation at any time, any place and under any circumstances. The offender, not the survivor, must be held responsible for this crime. |
| MYTH | Most offenders are African-American men |
| FACT | Over 90% of sexual assaults occur between people of the same ethnic or racial background. The myth of the black rapist is rooted to the racist history of our country. |
| MYTH | Most sexual assaults are committed by strangers at night in out-of-the-way places. |
| FACT | Familiar people and safe places are more dangerous. As many as 80% of sexual assaults are committed by someone the survivor knows (FBI). Over 50% of sexual assaults occur in the home and as many occur during the daytime as happen at night. |
| MYTH | Women frequently "cry rape." |
| FACT | Women don't lie about rape. The FBI reports that false accusations account for only 2% of all reported sexual assaults. This is no higher than false reports for any other crime. |
| MYTH | Only women can be raped. |
| FACT | It is currently estimated by the FBI that one out of ten men are victims of adult sexual assault. Other researchers have found that between one out of four and one out of seven male children are sexually abused. |
| MYTH | The best way for survivors to get over a sexual assault is to act like it didn't happen, to put it behind them, get on with their lives and be "normal" again. |
| FACT |
Speaking out about sexual assault might be an essential part of the recovery process for survivors. However, no survivor should ever be forced to speak, publicly or privately, before they are ready. every survivor is the expert on their own recovery. For many, recovery becomes an ongoing process of healing, change and empowerment. All survivors have a right to support and validation from friends, family and service providers, no matter where they are in their individual healing process or how long ago the assault occurred. |