Facts and Figures
Sexual abuse occurs
when somebody is made to engage in sexual actions without their consent. Sexual abuse can include unwanted touching through
to rape. It occurs during times of peace but is also used as a weapon of war. It can be found in the home or on
the street. It can be committed by a stranger, but is more likely to be carried out by someone known to the victim. A
woman or man can be sexually abused, including raped, by one man, or many. She or he may be conscious or drugged.
Women rarely talk of rape-in some societies, the shame is such that women can be driven from their communities. For men, talking
about sexual abuse can be even more problematic.
Sexual abuse is not uncommon
21%
of girls and 11% of boys experience some form of child sexual abuse
23%
of women and 3% of men experience some form of sexual assault.
5% of women and 0.4%
of men experience rape.
40% of adults who are raped tell no one about it.
31%
of children reach adulthood without anybody ever knowing they suffered sexual abuse.
(Cross Government Action Plan on Sexual Violence and Abuse,UK Government 2007)
Violence against
women and girls continues unabated in every continent, country and culture. It takes a devastating toll on women’s lives,
on their families, and on society as a whole. Most societies prohibit such violence — yet the reality is that too often,
it is covered up or tacitly condoned.
(UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, 8 March 2007)
It is estimated that worldwide, one in five women will become a victim of rape or attempted
rape in her lifetime
(United
Nations Development Fund for Women)
In June 2008 The United Nations
Security Council described the sexual assault of women and children in war zones as becoming so widespread and systematic
as to reach 'appalling levels of brutality'. A resolution was accepted that “rape and other
forms of sexual violence can constitute war crimes, crimes against humanity or a constitutive act with respect to genocide”.
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UK Home Office report on rape
World Health Organisation In 2002 the World Health Organisation published its first World Report on Violence and Health which is the
first comprehensive summary of the global problem of violence. Chapter 6 of the report focusses on sexual violence. This chapter
presents a summary of much available research into sexual violence, including that on the consequences of sexual violence.
Below, the main points of the report are summarised.
WHO Report
In 2002 the British
Journal of Psychiatry published a paper entitled ‘Sexual molestation of males: associations with psychological
disturbance’. At the time of the research the authors report that there was no data in Europe concerning the relationship
between male victims of sexual abuse and their likelihood of experiencing psychological problems. Their results showed that
men who experienced child sexual abuse were more likely to experience any type of psychological problem in later life. Self
harm, however, was the most likely problem to occur in men who experienced sexual abuse as adults.
The Ripple Effect The Australian Government in 2007 published a report which looked at research into
the effects of sexual abuse-effects on the individual but also the wider social context, including the family, professional
workers in the field and society as a whole. Whilst sexaul abuse muct be experienced as a individual problem, it is inherently
social.
Click here to download the report
An Editorial in the British
Medical Journal (2003), 'Management of people who have been raped', cited various evidence concerning
the possible effects of rape. The pregnancy rate was identified as 5%, the rate of sexually transmitted disease
from 4-56%. Anxiety, depression, thoughts of suicide and difficulties with relationships and sexual activity were also identified.
Pregnancy The rate of pregancy resulting from rape varies between societies, in particular in relation to
the female population's general use of oral contraception. Thus, whilst in Ethiopia where their use is low 17% of all
rapes result in pregnancy, in the United States the figure is 5%: this equates to 32,000 pregnancies through rape each year. Gynaecological
Problems
Sexual abuse can result in vaginal bleeding and infection. Sexual desire may be greatly reduced
and pain consequent from sexual intercourse. Chronic pelvic pain and urinary tract infections are also commonly reported
problems as a result of abuse. Sexually Transmitted Diseases The report considers research specifically
regarding the risk of HIV infection. Violent and forced sex increases the risk of this infection due to the abrasions
and cuts which commonly occur in the vagina, increasing the ease at which the HIV virus can enter. Anal rape suffered by men
and boys as well as women and girls poses a particular threat in terms of HIV infection because anal tissue is even more easier
damaged, allowing greater ease of virus transmission. Mental Health
The report relates research which
reveals that amongst women presenting with symptoms of psychiatric disorders, 33% had a history of sexual violence as
adults compared with 6% of women with no such history. Victims of sexual abuse have a greater risk of depression and post
traumatic stress disorder. 50% of women will still suffer stress related symptoms after counselling for their abuse. Victims
of both adult and child sexual abuse are more likely to attempt or commit suicide.
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Sexual abuse in all its forms violates. The hurt can be exacerbated
by a society suspicious of the victims. You will know whether you have been the victim of sexual abuse regardless
of the misconceptions surrounding it, regardless of whether you fit the 'typical' victim profile. You will know
- and so does God. Myths Concerning Rape
A fear confronting victims of sexual abuse,especially
rape, is that they will either not be believed or will be blamed. Why? Because rape is a crime surrounded by myths
- assumptions that conflict with the evidence. If you are a victim or you are supporting a victim, be assured of the difference
between myth and fact.
Myths Surrounding Female
Rape
Rape is committed
by strangers: Women are most likely to be raped by men they know. For example,
32% of rapes were committed by previous partners, 22% by acquaintances, and 45% by current partners.
Only 8% of rapes were by strangers. (UK Home Office). 97% of callers to a Rape Crisis Line knew their assailant prior to the
attack.
Women cry rape too easily:
Less than 6% of rapes get reported to the police. Rather than 'crying too easily’, women fail to report due to fear,
misplaced guilt, shame and fear of simply not being believed. The level of false accusations is the same for any
other crime: 2%.
Rape
is a product of an uncontrollable sex drive:
Men can, and do, control their sexual urges. Rape is an act of violence, not a sexual act.
If a woman didn't struggle then it wasn't
rape: Most women are afraid to struggle. Some will be drugged.
Official advice is to not incite the attacker to become more physically aggressive. This will
sometimes necessitate keeping quiet and ‘calm’ and waiting for the attack to end.
Rapists are not normal men and are probably mentally ill: Research
suggests that rapists are rarely mentally ill. Rather, they are normal men who happen to rape. Rapists come from different
social classes and ethnic groups.
Myths Surrounding Male Rape
Male rape simply doesn't happen : In the year 2005-06, 62,081 sexual offences were recorded
by the police. Of this number, 14,449 were offences of rape, of which 92% were rape of a female and 8% were rape of a male.
In the UK in 2007 there were 1006 cases of reported rape against men. It is widely accepted that this figure is a gross
underestimate of the real rate of this crime because of the general problems of reporting sexual offences which may be
intensified with male victims. Men can be and are victims of rape. Mankind, a charity concerned with sexual violence against
men, estimate that 3 in 20 men are affected by sexual violence.
Men who rape other men are homosexual: Research indictes that most men who sexually
assault another man are heterosexual rather than homosexual.
Male victims probably appeared homosexual : As with sexual abuse against
females, male sexual violence has nothing to do with sexual attraction. Rather it is an act related to the need for control
and power.
Men will be less affected by
it than women: Society constructs men in such a way that they are expected to appear masculine,
to stay strong and to deal with the 'knocks' of life. There is no evidence that male victims are any less seriously
affected by sexual abuse than females. Indeed, it may well be that their suffering is enhanced as sexual assault services
are primarily aimed at females and as society creates myths which marginalise the reality of their victimhood. Research suggests
that a particular affect of sexual assault on men is their perception of their own sexuality.
If a man experienced
sexual arousal or orgasm then this means he wasn't a real victim: Physical
stimulation, even in the context of traumatic or painful situation, can lead to male erection and even orgasm. Victims may
struggle not only with society's wrong assumptions about this, but with a sense of shame and guilt.
Male rape only really happens in prisons :Whilst
male rape happens in prisons, it also happens in all areas of society-on the streets, within the family home, in educational
insitutions and so on. Male rape is most definitely not 'a prison thing'.
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