It seems each day’s headlines highlight another high profile politician, entertainer or business executive being accused of sexual misconduct. The activities themselves vary widely, including sexual harassment that may consist of verbal taunting, sexual innuendos, threats of career derailment and physical violence, inappropriate and unwanted physical and sexual contact and rape. Many of us feel betrayed each day by these famous men we have never even met in person. The topic is ubiquitous and discussed wherever two or more gather. Momentum continues to grow for holding individuals, and recently almost exclusively men, accountable for their sexual offenses. Clearly this is a moment in time for the tide to turn on this matter. It has been allowed to fester for far too long. Some however are struggling with this movement. Some are holding on tight, looking for ways to dismiss the dismal and pervasive reality of sexual assault and are questioning the validity of our society facing this shadow. Women who have the courage to speak out and be a part of the #metoo movement are being accused of lying because their stories are not coming out for years and even decades after the events. Accusations of political motivation and conspiracy abound. After all, if such traumatizing events really happened, they would have reported it when it happened, right? Wrong.
While sexual assault is not limited to women as victims, the reality is that 91% of the victims of rape and sexual assault are female. The scope of this problem is larger than we want to know. How bad is it in the U.S.? On average, there is a rape and sexual assault every 98 seconds. One in five adult women and one in 71 men will be raped at some point in their lives. One in four girls and one in six boys will be sexually abused before they turn 18 years old. These numbers are staggering and hard to fathom.
Such events have significant ramifications on the health of a society even beyond the trauma to the individual. According to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, annually, rape costs the U.S. more than any other crime ($127 billion) as compared to say, drunk driving ($61 billion).
The personal effects of such trauma are not isolated incidents and often last a lifetime. Studies show 81% of women report significant short and long-term impacts such as the development of mental health conditions such as depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). 30% of women report symptoms of PTSD 9 months after the rape, 33% of women who are raped contemplate suicide and 13% attempt suicide.
Certainly such offenses that traumatize victims would appear to demand vindication or justice, but here is the reality: rape is the most under-reported of crimes; 63% of sexual assaults are not reported to police. Only 12% of child sexual abuse is reported to the authorities. More than 90% of sexual assault victims on college campuses do not report the assault. So sexual assault is rampant and a minority of these are being reported and the reported numbers alone are already mind numbing.
A major survey in the UK, highlights just how frightened women are to report such events and not be believed. More than 80 per cent of the 1,600 respondents in the study said they did not report their assault to the police, while 29 per cent said they told nobody – not even a friend or family member – of their ordeal.
Why would someone not report such an event? Do they not want to see responsibility be taken, justice served and others protected? This is a difficult topic for many to understand. Sexual assault is unique and has qualities very different than most other crimes. It traumatizes the very essence of a person, often making them question themselves and is imbued with elements of sexuality, violence and power imbalance. A brief list of explanations for lack of reporting studied include: self-blame or guilt, shame, embarrassment and a desire to keep the assault a private matter. Humiliation or fear of the perpetrator or other individual’s perceptions. Fear of not being believed or of being accused of playing a role in the event. A lack of trust in the criminal justice system.
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