Acquaintance Rape
False Rape Claims Are Low
The prevalence of false rape claims varies, according to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, with estimates anywhere between 2% and 10% of total claims. In a study of eight communities around the U.S., researchers found a 7.1% rate of false reports from among 2,059 sexual assault cases. Another study in Boston found a 5.9% false-report rate among 136 sexual assault cases. Other researchers found a 2.1% rate of false reports from 2000 to 2003, when they looked at 812 reports of assault.
Sexual Assault Costs Millions
Sexual assault has economic consequences — some $450 billion worth (with a "b") annually. Rape alone costs an estimated $127 billion per year (excluding child sex abuse), with each rape costing around $151,423. These costs are the result of funding sexual assault services, as well as lost wages over time due to lower educational attainment (which is common among adolescent assault survivors) and lost wages due to an inability to work, a frequent consequence of assault.
Assault in the Military
Assault in the military is alarmingly common. In 2014, there were at least 20,300 members of the military who were assaulted. Reporting assault in the military is also low, with 85% of victims not reporting them in 2014. Moreover, retaliation for reporting is common. More than 60% of military women who reported their assaults were found to have experienced retaliation. Not surprising, since one in seven of the assaults in the military are someone in the victim's chain of command.
The Rates Are Falling
The rate of reported sexual assaults has fallen dramatically since 1993, when there were 4.3 rapes for every 1,000 people in the U.S. The rate in 2016 was 1.2 for every 1,000 people, a 63% decline. Still, each year there are 60,000 children who were victims of abuse (or showed signs); 80,600 inmates in prisons who were sexually assaulted or raped; and 321,500 Americans 12 years or older who were sexually assaulted or raped.
Native Americans Are at Higher Risk
Native Americans are two times as likely to be raped or sexually assaulted as all other races in the U.S. More than 40 percent of sexual assaults against American Indians are committed by strangers, while 34% are by an acquaintance. Twenty-five percent of rape and sexual assault among Native Americans is by an intimate partner or family member.
The Most Vulnerable Age Range
The most vulnerable to be sexually assaulted or raped are women between 12 to 34 years old. This group makes up 69% of victims.
