Sexual Violence in any form, whether an assault or rape or molestation or Eve-teasing/Adam-teasing is probably the most heinous crimes which has been going on since the start of times across geographical boundaries. In an attempt to show how shameful of a society we live in where everyday, every hour someone or the other is facing sexual violence, let’s take a look into 10 shocking sexual violence statistics.
10 Horrific Sexual Violence Statistics:
10. The Perpetrator
Only 6% of rapist ever serve a day in jail. It has been noted that the out of all offenders or perpetrators in rape cases, 23% of them share intimate relationship with the victim prior to the rape. While 3% are victim’s own relative. 38% of the rapists are either friend or acquaintance of the victim. Only 31% of the rapists are strangers to the victim.
9. The Location
The place where the rape takes place is matter of factors that is taken under consideration in rape cases. In case of rape, 30.9% of the rape takes place in the perpetrator’s home, while 26.6% of the rape takes place in the victim’s home. 10.1% of the rape takes place in the perpetrator’s and victim’s shared home. A party or a vehicle serves as the location 7.2% each. The location is outdoor in 3.6% of the rape cases and bar in 2.2% of the rape cases.
8. Countries With highest Rape Cases
The countries with highest rape cases are Lesotho (91.6 per 100000), Trinidad & Tobago (58.4 per 100000), Sweden (53.2 per 100000), Korea (33.7 per 100000), New Zealand (30.9 per 100000), United States of America (28.6 per 100000), Belgium (26.3 per 100000), Zimbabwe (25.6 per 100000) and United Kingdom (23.2 per 100000).
7. Reported & Unreported Rape Cases
The sad part of sexual violence crime is the fact that is very less reported, either out of fear or shame that the society brings upon the victim. Shockingly, only 15% of the rapes are reported, while 12% of the attempt-to-rape cases are reported. With this data, it can be realised that more than half of the rape cases in the world are not reported. Who is to blame – the administration, the judiciary or the society as a whole?
6. Victim’s Age & Race
In cases of sexual assault, women irrespective of how old they are, face the same problem. 15% of the sexual assault victims are 12 years of age or younger. 29% of the victims are aged between 12-17 years. 44% of the sexual assault victims are below the age of 18 years. Whereas 80% of the victims are under the age of 30 years. It has been noticed from the figures that women aged from 18-34 are the worst victims of such assaults. 5. Victim’s Race. In the USA, 17.7% victims are white – Americans, 18.8% are African-Americans, 6.8% Asian/Pacific Islander, 34.1 American Indian/Alaskan Native, 14.6% Hispanic and 24.4% mixed race women.
4. Physical Injury
Among the various physical injuries that the victim suffers from rape are – 33% victims suffer minor physical injuries including bruises and chipped teeth. 5% victims suffer major injuries like gunshot wounds or broken bones. 61% suffer undetermined injuries. 82% victims use hospital services, whereas 55% victims use physician services, 17% victims use dental services. 19% of the victims use ambulatory/paramedic services. 17% of the victims use physical therapy services.
3. Mental Trauma
Apart from the visible physical injuries, a victim undergoes countless mental trauma the incident. The victims after the incident are three times more likely to suffer from depression, six time more likely to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder and four times more likely to contemplate suicide. Undoubtedly, this heinous crime takes a toll on the victim.
2. Male Rape
The notion that men can’t be raped is probably one of the biggest myths ever. Fewer than 1 in 10 male-male rapes are reported. About 3% of American men -or 1 in 33 – have experienced an attempted or completed rape in their lifetime. The case is not limited to India alone, it is similar to every other part of the world. >> 10 Male Celebrities who Faced Sexual Assaults.
1. Child Sexual Abuse
Perhaps the most hear wrenching part of the survey is the child sexual abuse. About of 19.7% girls and 7.9% boys face sexual abuse. Most of the victims are either acquaintances or relatives of the victim. The highest prevalence rate of child sexual abuse geographically is found in Africa (34.4%). What needs to be done here is the fact that parents/guardians of children must always be alert and should engage is dialogues and discussions with their children. Knowledge about sex and sexuality as well as sexual violence must be shared between them. Only then, the child will be in a position to openly discuss such sensitive and important subjects with their parents.