Rape

[ Sneak Peak Episode 14 ]

Do you want to know something really frightening? Every 68 seconds a person is sexually assaulted in the United States and that out of 1,000 rapists only 25 will go to prison. These stats and a handful of others in this episode, come from the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website also known as RAINN.org. Regardless of gender, or sexuality, or age, or race... just over every minute, someone is either being touched in a harmful sexual way; either someone is pressured into acts of sex that they do not want; or, someone is raped, completely forced into sex against their will.

Other stats I’ve found report that 78% of women worldwide have experienced some form of sexual assault. Odds are, if you have even a small group of female friends, there is a high likelihood that several have experienced some form of sexual assault. More specifically, 1 in 6 US women have been vitimized by attempted or completed rape. Think of 6 women you know-- maybe a group of them from work, or your sports team, or maybe there are 6 women in your family that come to mind. Statistically, it’s possible that one of them has been harmed or confronted by rape. With numbers as high as this, it’s evident that we have an unfortunate, common, and highly recurring problem.

It’s not fair to scoff at the idea that men and boys can also be victims of sexual violence. Yes-- men can be raped. And in fact, there needs to be more discussion about this. While the statistics are lower, any person-- regardless of their gender-- between the age of 12 and 34 is at highest risk for sexual assault. Pick up your cell phone right now. Scroll through your contacts-- after passing the 33rd person who identifies as a cis gendered man, well it’s possible that at least one of them has been raped. These stats also come from RAINN as they report that 3% of the American male population has experienced an attempted or completed rape. 

Now pick up your phone and quickly scroll through just the beginning alphabet of your contacts. With a few of the stats I just explained in mind-- think about how many people you already know who may have experienced a form of sexual violence, assault, or rape. Chances are someone you know is either a victim or survivor. Or, maybe it doesn’t matter who’s in your phone because the person you’re actually thinking about… is the person holding the phone. 

Sexual violence is pervasive and rampant and it occurs in the US every 1 minute and 8 seconds.

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[Photo: originally color, @builtbymath]