MYTH: Sexual assault is a rare occurrence.

FACT:  Statistics show that there is a rape every 6 minutes in the United States.   1 in 3 girls and 1 in 6 boys will be sexually assaulted before the age of 18.  Sexual assault is still a highly unreported crime; only half of sexual assault victims ever report their victimization.  The average rapist attacks ten times before he is caught.

MYTH: Sexual assaults occur mostly among strangers.

FACT:  80% of rape victims know their perpetrators.  35% of sexual assaults occur within the family.  It is estimated that incest occurs in one out of twenty families.

MYTH: Women are only raped when they are alone at night, primarily in dark alleys.

FACT:  60% of sexual assaults occur in the victim’s home or at the home of a friend, relative or neighbor.  68% of rapes occur between the hours of 6 p.m. and 6 a.m.

MYTH: Women invite rape by what they wear or how they behave.

FACT:  No one asks to be sexually assaulted.  You have the right to be safe at any time and any place, no matter what.  No woman’s behavior or dress gives a man the right to sexually assault her.  The offender, not the survivor, is the one who is responsible for the crime.

MYTH: Rape is an act of sex and passion.

FACT:  Sexual assault is a violent crime committed in a sexual manner.  It is the sexual release of anger, control or power to inflict violence and humiliation on the victim.  Rape is a socially learned behavior; it correlates with history, sex roles, conditioning and sexual violence in the media.  Sexual assault has nothing to do with sex or passion it is a way to gain power and control over a victim.

MYTH: Only young, beautiful women get sexually assaulted.

FACT:  Rapists choose their victims for their vulnerability and accessibility without any regard to age or physical appearance.  Victims are young and old, single and married, rich and poor, male and female.  Victims of reported sexual assaults have ranged from infants to 93 years old.

MYTH: Most sexual assaults involve perpetrators and victims of different races.

FACT:  90% of the men and women involved in sexual assaults are of the same race.

MYTH: Women often lie about being raped to get back at someone.

FACT:  FBI statistics show that only 2% of reported rapes are false.  This is the same percentage of false reports as for all other crimes.

MYTH: It is impossible for a husband to rape his wife because there is implied consent in a marriage.

FACT:  If a woman does not freely consent to sexual activity it is against the law.  If a victim is forced or coerced it is sexual assault, regardless of whether she is in a relationship with him or not.

MYTH: Males don’t get raped.  If a male is raped it is by a homosexual man.

FACT:  It is estimated that 7% of sexual assaults that happen, happen to men. The majority of the time when a male is sexually assaulted the perpetrator is a male, however, 95% of men who sexually assault other males consider themselves to be heterosexual.  Same sex assaults are typically more physically violent and the perpetrator generally uses a weapon.

MYTH: Rapists frequently use weapons to accomplish their crimes.

FACT:  Over 70% of the time a perpetrator does not use a weapon in a sexual assault.  Victims are usually assaulted by a person they know so the perpetrator does not need a weapon.  Victims are usually pressured or forced into submission by the rapist’s strength or threats of violence.

MYTH: Sexual offenders are mentally ill.

FACT:  Sexual offenders are considered normal in all social groups and classes.  Rape and other forms of sexual abuse are learned behaviors that are aggressive and distorted ways of dealing with rage and frustration.

MYTH: Sexual offenders go to jail when they are prosecuted.

FACT:  Studies show that only half of sexual assault victims report the crime and of that number less than 2% of the offenders are convicted or sent to jail.  Often there is not a trial, but when there is, 50% are acquitted and 40% are convicted of a lesser offense.

MYTH: “Sexual assault could never happen to me.”

FACT:  Sexual assault can potentially happen to anyone regardless of age, race, ethnicity, religion or socioeconomic status.  It can also happen to men.  While you can certainly take steps to minimize your risk of sexual assault, there is nothing you can do to guarantee that you will never be a victim.  Victims cannot prevent rape; only rapists can.