Every 73 seconds someone is being sexually assaulted. Every nine minutes that victim is a child. Only 5 out of every 1000 perpetrators will end up in prison. 3% of American men or 1 in 33 men have experienced an attempted or completed a rape in their lifetime. Child protective services agencies have found strong evidence to indicate that 63,000 children a year were victims of sexual abuse. 9 out of every 10 victims of rape are female. These statistics are from RAINN (Rape, abuse & Incest National Network). They are the largest anti-sexual violence organization and have helped over 3.5 million survivors and their loved ones.
April is sexual assault awareness month and I felt compelled to speak about this because I see it more often in my office than you can possibly imagine. I don’t care how much you have had to drink or how short you wore your skirt or whether or not you were lying naked and then you changed your mind….NO always means NO… it does not mean Maybe and dressing provocatively or walking home alone never gives anyone the right to assault another person.
I have begged so many of my patients to report because their silence means that this could happen to another woman. If only 5 out of 1000 perpetrators end up in prison that means that there are 995 vultures out there waiting for their next prey.
I wanted you to hear from a trial lawyer who deals with these cases every day. The information that she has for you is invaluable. I hope that if you were ever a victim of of this crime or if you know someone that might have been please share this information. Reporting is never easy but your silence enables perpetrators to think that their crime will go unpunished and there is no doubt that they will keep doing this to other women.
Child Abuse Hotline 1-800-540-4000
National Sexual Assault Hotline (24/7): 1-800-656-4673