An estimated 683,000 rapes occur each year. Only 16% of rape victims report the offense to police. More than half of lifetime rapes occur before age 18, and nearly one-third occur before age 12.

In a national survey, 28% of college women reported a sexual experience since age 14 that met the legal definition of rape or attempted rape; 8% of college men reported perpetrating aggressive behavior which met the legal definition of rape.

Nearly half of the rapes and sexual assaults reported to police by women of all ages are committed by friends or acquaintances. As many as 95% of the rapes that occur on college campuses are committed by someone the victim knows.

Victims of rape often experience chronic headaches, fatigue, sleep disturbances, recurrent nausea, decreased appetite, eating disorders, menstrual pain, sexual dysfunction, and suicidal behavior. Sexual assault may more than double the risk of substance abuse.

The National Violence Against Women Survey estimates that more than 200,000 women 18 and older were raped by intimate partners in the 12 months preceding the survey.

Victims of marital or date rape are 11 times more likely than non-victims to be clinically depressed and 6 times more likely to experience social phobia. Some victims experience psychological problems as long as 15 years after the assault.

Like intimate partner violence, sexual violence often goes unreported because of embarrassment, denial or fear of retaliation, especially when the perpetrator is someone known to the victim. This under-reporting masks the magnitude of the problem of sexual assault in the U.S. Even when incidents are reported, they may not be identified or recorded as sexual violence. Similarly, victims seeking medical care after rape or sexual assault may not disclose the true cause of their injuries. Even if they do, the information may not be recorded in the medical record. To better document the scope of the problem of sexual violence and identify trends in incidence and prevalence, we must improve the quality of data ollection at national, state, and local levels. Development of uniform definitions and recommended data elements for sexual assault is critical. Scientists, public health professionals, advocates and others in this field must increase efforts to stop sexual violence from occurring.

What Is Sexual Violence?

Sexual violence is a sex act completed or attempted against a victim's will or when a victim is unable to consent due to age, illness, disability, or the influence of alcohol or other drugs. It may involve actual or threatened physical force, use of guns or other weapons, coercion, intimidation or pressure. Sexual violence also includes intentional touching of the genitals, anus, groin, or breast against a victim's will or when a victim is unable to consent, as well as voyeurism, exposure to exhibitionism, or undesired exposure to pornography. The perpetrator of sexual violence may be a stranger, friend, family member, or intimate partner.