Most sexual assault victim/survivors know the person who assaulted them
- About 80 – 85% of perpetrators know the person they assaulted
- Victims of child sexual assault know their perpetrator 90% of the time
Sexual assault can be committed by an intimate partner or spouse
- 51% of all sexual assaults are perpetrated by the victim/survivor’s current or former partner
It is normal for a victim to freeze during a sexual assault
- As many as 50% of sexual assault victim/survivors experience tonic mobility (temporary bodily paralysis) during their assault (National Institute of Justice, 2012)
Sexual assault is a crime that is planned and premeditated
- Sexual assault does not occur “by accident” – perpetrators premeditate their attacks by creating trust, isolating the victim, providing drugs or alcohol, or otherwise creating vulnerability (CCASA, 2012)
Most sexual assaults are not reported to the police
- Only about 33% of victim/survivors report their assault to police – it is the most underreported violent crime (National Crime Victimization Survey, 2008-2012)
Most perpetrators are not punished through the criminal justice system
- Approximately 2% of all reported sexual assault perpetrators will spend any time in prison (FBI Crime Reports, 2006-2010)
False rape accusations are uncommon
- Similar to other crimes, about 2 – 5% of sexual assault allegations are proven to be false (NSVRC, 2012)