GET THE FACTS

Rape and sexual assault are serious problems in our communities. Sexual violence is critically underreported, preventing Advocates from assisting survivors in need. According to the FBI's Preliminary 2009 UCR (Uniformed Crime Report) data, Akron and Toledo were the only 2 of the 6 largest cities in Ohio to show an increase in the number of reported rapes in 2009.

Every 2 minutes, someone in the U.S. is sexually assaulted.

The state of Ohio reported 4,452 forcible rapes in 2007.
Summit County reported 254 forcible rapes in 2007.
Medina County reported 11 forcible rapes in 2007.

Who Are the Victims?

1 out of every 6 American women has been the victim of an attempted or completed rape in her lifetime. Among all victims, about nine out of ten are female.
1 out of every 33 American men has been the victim of an attempted or completed rape in his lifetime.
At least 10% of all victims are male.

Age

Age of sexual assault victims

15% are under age 12
29% are age 12-17
44% are under age 18
80% are under age 30
Ages 12-34 are the years with the highest risk
Girls ages 16-19 are four times more likely than the general population to be victims of sexual assault.

Race

Women

17.7% of white women
18.8% of African-American women
6.8% of Asian / Pacific Islander women
34.1% of American Indian / Alaskan Native women
24.4% mixed race women
14.6% of Hispanic women

Men

2.8% of white men
3.3% of African-American men
4.4% of mixed race men

Effects of Rape

Physical Injuries

100% of completed rapes, 39% of attempted rapes, and 17% of sexual assaults against females result in injured victims.
33% of victims sustain minor physical injuries (bruises and chipped teeth).
5% of victims sustain major injuries (broken bones and gunshot wounds).
61% of victims sustain undetermined injuries.
Only around 36% of injured victims receive medical care.
82% of those cared for use hospital services.
55% use physician services.
17% use dental services.
19% use ambulatory / paramedic services.
17% use physical therapy services.

Mental Health

Survivors of sexual assault are:

3 times more likely to suffer from depression
6 times more likely to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder
13 times more likely to abuse alcohol
26 times more likely to abuse drugs
4 times more likely to contemplate suicide

Economic

Approximately 1 in 11 sexual assault victims reported that they suffered some economic loss as a consequence of the crime.
The average economic loss (in 1997) was about $200
Nearly 7% of victims reported losing time from work.

Occurrence of Sexual Assaults

The number of rapes reported is spread fairly evenly throughout the year, with a slight increase in August (around 9%) and the fewest in December (approximately 7%).

Time of day sexual assaults occur:

43% between 6:00pm and midnight
33% between 6:00am and 6:00pm
24% between midnight and 6:00am
Nearly 6 out of 10 sexual assault incidents were reported by victims to have occurred in their own home or at the home of a friend, relative, or neighbor.

Reporting to Police

There were 90,427 forcible rapes reported to police in 2007.
Sexual assault is one of the most underreported crimes, with an average of 39% being reported to the police each year.
When victims of rape, attempted rape, and sexual assault did not report the crime to the police, the most often cited reasons were:

Rape

Personal matter (23.3%)
Fear of reprisal (16.3%)
Police biased (5.8%)

Attempted Rape

Personal matter (16.8%)
Fear of reprisal (11.3%)
Protect offender (9.9%)

Completed and attempted sexual assault

Personal matter (25.3%)
Reported to different official (12.4%)
Fear of reprisal (11.3%)

Relationships between offender and victim

The closer the relationship between the female victim and the offender, the greater the likelihood that the incident will not be reported.
When the offender was a current or former husband or boyfriend, about 75% of all victimizations were not reported to police.
When the offender was a friend or acquaintance, an average of 71% were not reported.
When the offender was a stranger, an average of 44% were not reported.

The Offenders

Almost 2/3 of sexual assaults are committed by someone known to the victim.

23% of rapists are an intimate
3% are another relative
38% are a friend or acquaintance
31% are a stranger
6% are unknown
Only about 6% of rapists ever serve a day in jail.

Age

The average age of an arrested rapist is 31 years old.
0.6% are 17 years old or younger
54.6% are 18 to 29 years old
28.6% are 30 to 39 years old
8.9% are 40 to 49 years old
7.3% are 50 years old or older

Marital status of arrested rapists

22.1% are married
1.2% are widowed
28.5% are divorced
6.2% are separated
42% are never married

Weapons use during sexual assault

An average 8% of sexual assaults each year involve the use of a weapon.
2% use a firearm
4% use a knife
2% use another form of weapon
6% are unsure
87% of victims reported the use of physical force alone

Criminal justice figures

Convicted rapists made up 1.2% of the 272,111 state prisoners released in 1994, and 46% of these released rapists were rearrested within three years for some type of felony or serious misdemeanor.
2.5% were rearrested for another rape.
In 1999, women accounted for 1 in 50 offenders committing a violent sex offense including rape and sexual assault.
Nearly 6 in 10 of these women serving time in state prisons have experienced physical or sexual abuse in the past.
Offenders in sexual assault murders are about 6 years younger on average than other murderers.
Youth fewer than 18 have accounted for about 10% of the sexual assault murders since 1976.

1. U.S Department of Justice: Bureau of Justice Statistics. 2007 National Crime Victimization
Study. 2007.
2.U.S. Department of Justice: National Institute of Justice. Prevalence, Incidence, and
Consequences of Violence Against Women. 2000.
3.U.S. Department of Justice. http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/
4.U.S. Department of Justice: National Institute of Justice. Youth Victimization: Prevalence and Implications. 2003.
5.U.S. Department of Justice: Bureau of Justice Statistics. Rape and Sexual Assault: Reporting to Police and Medical Attention, 1992-2000. 2002.
6.U.S. Department of Justice: Bureau of Justice Statistics. Sex Offenses and Offenders. 1997.
7.U.S. Department of Justice: Bureau of Justice Statistics. 2002 Recidivism of Prisoners
Released in 1994. 2002.
8.U.S. Department of Justice: Bureau of Justice Statistics. Women Offenders. 1999.
9.U.S. Department of Justice: Federal Bureau of Investigation. Uniform Crime Report. 2007.
Note that the definition of forcible rape used in this report is quite narrow. It excludes many
types of sexual assault, all attacks on male victims, and statutory rapes of children too young to consent.
* Average of years 2003-2007