Recently, the hit show Grey’s Anatomy aired an episode that explores the realities of sexual assault and consent from a few different angles. As a former educator on sexual assault prevention, I found the episode to be really well done. As a longtime fan of the show I also found it to be one of their most powerful episodes.
It also wasn’t lost on me that this story also heavily featured and centered Black folks in the stories, something that doesn’t happen often in conversations of sexual assault.
And don’t get me started on THAT scene.
As April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month I thought it would be helpful to share some information about the scope of sexual assault for those who may not know the harsh realities. And if you’re interested, I previously wrote about how to support a survivor of sexual assault as well.
Here are some facts about sexual assault from the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN):
- An American is sexually assaulted approximately every 98 seconds
- The rate of sexual assault and rape has fallen 63% since 1993, from a rate of 4.3 assaults per 1,000 people in 1993, to 1.2 per 1000 in 2016
- 1 out of every 6 American women has been the victim of an attempted or completed rape in her lifetime (14.8% completed, 2.8% attempted).
- About 3% of American men—or 1 in 33—have experienced an attempted or completed rape in their lifetime
- 48% or reported cases occurred when survivors were sleeping, or performing another activity at home
- A majority of child victims are 12-17. Of victims under the age of 18: 34% of victims of sexual assault and rape are under age 12, and 66% of victims of sexual assault and rape are age 12-17
These statistics, while accurate to some extent, are frankly the best data we have regarding sexual assault. But, as you can imagine, sexual assault is one of the highest underreported crimes due to fear of retribution, shaming and fear of not being believed. The shame of survival can also be incredibly difficult to work through. Gathering the strength and courage to report to authorities is another challenge altogether.
Ultimately, I hope that these stats give you some idea of the broad scope of the realities of sexual assault. We certainly need to be having more conversations with men and boys about what consent actually means, from both ethical and legal perspectives. We’ve got a lot of work to do.
If you, or someone you know have experienced sexual assault RAINN.org can help with confidential support and is available 24 hours a day.
Author: Jor-El
Jor-El is Co-founder of Viva Wellness and a foodie and film buff. He most often writes about mental health, relationships, food and mindfulness. When he’s not busy working, he typically can be found lounging or walking around NYC with his pup Nomi.
