Gender-Based Violence Statistics

Sexual Assault 

• 18.3% (1 in 5) of women and 1.4% (1 in 71) of men reported experiencing rape at some time in their lives (National Center for Injury Prevention and Control 2012).
• 25% of women and 17% of men are sexually assaulted before they turn 18 (National Sexual Violence Resource Center 2015).
• 80% of sexual assaults are perpetrated by someone known to the survivor prior to the assault (National Sexual Violence Resource Center 2015).
• Most sexual assaults on college campuses are perpetrated by serial perpetrators. Serial perpetrators commit an average of 6 assaults
• The majority of perpetrators are male: 98% of female and 93% of male sexual assault survivors report that their assailants were male
• The red zone, or the first six weeks a student is at college their freshman year, is the most dangerous time for sexual assaults (American Journal of College Health 2008).
• 58% of incapacitated rapes and 28% of forced rapes take place at college parties

Stalking 

• 15.2% of women and 5.7% of men have been a victim of stalking during their lifetimes (National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey 2011).
• 53.8% of female stalking victims and 47.7% of male stalking victims were first stalked before the age of 25 (National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey 2011).
• 37% of bisexual women and 16% of straight women have experienced stalking in their lifetime (National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey 2010).
• 61% of female victims and 44% of male victims were stalking by a current or former intimate partner (National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey 2011).
• Nearly 70% of stalking victims knew their assailant in some capacity (Bureau of Justice Statistics 2012).

Dating & Intimate Partner Violence

• 43% of dating college women and 28% of dating college men report experiencing violent and/or abusive behaviors in their relationships, including physical, sexual, verbal, emotional, and controlling abuse (College Dating Violence and Abuse Poll 2011).
• 29% of dating college women and 17% of dating college men report having been in an abusive dating relationship (College Dating Violence and Abuse Poll 2011).
• 57% of college students say it is difficult to identify dating abuse (College Dating Violence and Abuse Poll 2011).
• 60% of college students who experienced relationship abuse reported that nobody stepped in to help their situation (College Dating Violence and Abuse Poll 2011).
• 70% of college students in an abusive relationship were not aware of the abusive nature of the relationship at the time (College Dating Violence and Abuse Poll 2011).
• 58% of college students report not knowing how to help victims of relationship abuse (College Dating Violence and Abuse Poll 2011).
• 40% of college women and 58% of college men see dating violence and abuse as “not a problem” on their campus (College Dating Violence and Abuse Poll 2011).
• On average, nearly 20 people per minute are physically abused by an intimate partner in the United States. Over the course of one year, this equates to more than 10 million women and men (National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey 2010).

Crime Statistics

• Only 2–10% of sexual assault reports are estimated to be false, a rate that does not exceed the false reporting rates of other crimes. Incorrect, exaggerated statistics are often used to invalidate survivors’ experiences (Violence Against Women 2010).
• 0.6% of rapists will be incarcerated for their crime; 99.4% of rapists will walk free (RAINN 2012).
• Amongst student victims, aged 18-24, 20% of incidences were reported to law enforcement, and amongst nonstudents of the same age range, 32% were reported

Marginalized Groups

• 74.9% of bisexual women, 46.4% of lesbians, and 43.3% of straight women have reported sexual violence (other than rape) during their lifetimes; 47.4% of bisexual men, 40.2% of gay men, and 20.8% of straight men have reported sexual violence (other than rape) in their lifetimes (National Sexual Violence Resource Center 2015).
• In a national survey, it was found that 12% of transgender youth reported sexual assault in K-12 settings by peers or faculty, 13% of African American transgender people reported sexual assault in the workplace, and 22% of transgender individuals experiencing homelessness were assaulted while staying at shelters
• 33.5% of multiracial women, 26.9% of Native American women, 22% of Black women, 18.8% of white women, 14.6% of Hispanic women, and 6.8% of Asian/Pacific Islander women have been sexually assaulted
  • These numbers for women of color are almost certainly underrepresenting sexual assault in these communities; women of color report at lower rates. Asian American women are the least likely to report out of any racial/ethnic group (Asian & Pacific Islander Institute on Domestic Violence 2009).
• Individuals with a disability are three times more likely to be sexually assaulted than individuals without a disability (Crimes Against Persons with Disabilities 2011).
• Undocumented immigrant survivor statistics are difficult to estimate, as deportation can be used as a threat against reporting the crime. Immigrant survivors may also not be aware of their area’s resources and services (National Immigrant Women’s Advocacy Project 2013).
• People experiencing homelessness are at greater risks to be victims of sexual violence. In a survey of youth, ages 13-21, experiencing homelessness, 23% of females and 11% of males had experienced an act of sexual violence at least once since becoming homeless
• 14% of females and 4% of males have been sexually assaulted in prison by another prisoner. 34% of bisexual males, 39% of gay males report having been sexually assaulted by another prisoner (Bureau of Justice Statistics 2008).

Impacts of Rape and Sexual Assault

• 81% of women and 35% of men report experiencing significant short-term or long-term impacts of sexual assaults such as PTSD (National Sexual Violence Resource Center 2015).  
• 32% of female victims and 16% of male victims reported physical injury as a result of sexual assault
• 31% of sexual assault victims develop PTSD at one point in their lives. Victims are also three times more likely to have a major depressive episode. Victims are 13 times more likely to engage in alcohol abuse, and 26 times more likely to engage in substance abuse
• Direct costs for a survivor average $5,560 for health care, lost earnings, property damage or loss, and other losses. Lost quality of life or emotional or physical health can cost $198,000
• An individual with an income under $7,500 is twice as likely to be a victim of sexual assault as the general population
• One study showed that teens who experienced sexual violence had lower rates of educational attainment, worse future job performance, and lower earnings- a difference estimated to amount to $241,600 in lost lifetime earnings
• Rape costs victims more than any other crime, with total estimated costs of $127 billion per year
• One study showed that out of women who experienced sexual violence in their first semester of college, 14.3% of them ended the semester with a GPA below 2.5