5 Harmful Myths & Helpful Facts About Sexual Assault

Did you know?

Statistics show that 1 in 6 women will be raped annually in the US, and for every 1000 rapes, 995 perpetrators will go unpunished. [1]

What is sexual assault?

Sexual assault can include any of the following: forcing physical intercourse or sexual touch or of any sort upon or to a person, violence or name calling during sexually intimate acts, and denying contraception or protection from sexually transmitted diseases.[8]

What is consent?

Consent is voluntarily affirming permission with words and actions to all parties involved, to engage in a sexual act at a specific time. It cannot be compelled forcefully or by means of threats, intimidation, or deception. It cannot be given by anyone who is incapacitated, nor can it be assumed because of silence, or the absence of “no”. For it to be consent, it must be given at each occurrence of a sexual act and cannot be assumed due to a prior sexual activity, or a past relationship. It can be withdrawn at any time by means of clearly communicating that the sexual act is no longer permitted.[8]

What it means to be incapacitated?

A person is incapacitated if they are unable to understand facts or implications of a situation due to alcohol, drugs, mental disability, being unconscious, asleep, or based on their age. Signs of incapacitation include stumbling or falling, a person’s inability stand or focus their eyes, slurred speech, vomiting, a person who has urinated or defecated themselves, is sleeping or unconscious. Being incapacitated is not a free pass for initiating or performing a sexual act.[8]

Myth:

All sexual assault victims will report the crime to the police. If they didn’t report it, or delayed in reporting it, it must not be true. Many sexual assault victims lie about the assault and give false reports.

Facts:

It is estimated that less than 20% of sexual assaults are reported annually.[5] It is common for a sexual assault victim to struggle with a range of emotions and fears connected to neurobiological, psychological, and psychosocial factors, which make it difficult for them to disclose abuse, and can result in not reporting, or delaying reporting the abuse. Fears surrounding forensic exams, “rape kits”, embarrassment of oneself or loved ones, answering questions, reliving the trauma, not remembering all details, injustice, facing one’s perpetrator again, and safety, all contribute to the reasons victims choose not to report sexual assault.[1] A false report is a crime reported to a law enforcement agency that is disproved factually. Studies have found that only approximately 2 - 8% of sexual assaults were falsely reported [4]

Myth:

Sexual assault is an uncontrollable act of passion and lust.

Facts:

Sexual assault is not a crime of passion motivated by a desire for sexual gratification; rather, it is about power and control. This myth is an erroneous belief that removes accountability by discounting aggressive violence and supporting perpetrators claims that they were simply desiring sex.[4]

Myth:

It is not true sexual assault if the victim was dressed provocatively, using drugs or alcohol, or if they didn’t fight back or don’t have visible injuries.

Facts:

Sexual assault is not the result of any action on the part of the victim. It is not the result of the victim’s choice in clothing, mannerisms or behavior, mental disability, of being under the influence of drugs or alcohol, or not fighting back. Many survivors of sexual assault become paralyzed by fear and can experience a “freeze response” called tonic immobility, that results in the inability to move or speak.[7] Lack of physical injury is no indication that an assault has not occurred. Offenders may use coercive actions, threats, or weapons during the assault, or the assault may have occurred when the victim was incapacitated. The victim may have made a conscious decision to not fight back in hopes to prevent the perpetrator from becoming more violent, and to preserve safety and survive the assault.[1]

Myth:

Most sexual assaults are committed by strangers. It isn’t sexual assault if it occurred between intimate partners, spouses, acquaintances, or someone the victim had a past relationship with.

Facts:

It is estimated that sexual assault is most often committed by someone known to the victim, such as a dating partner, common-law partner, spouse, classmate, friend, or an acquaintance. This makes up 82% of sexual assaults.[2]

Myth:

Once consent has been given, it cannot be taken back, and a person is not a victim of sexual assault if they change their mind during an intimate encounter.

Facts:

At any time during a sexual encounter, consent can be withdrawn. A person should never feel uncomfortable or wrong for changing their mind for any reason.[6]