Realm of Sexual Assault

TW: Mentions of Sexual Assault

Welcome back to the last blog of SAAM!

This month we are wrapping up with some additional statistics to remind everyone on the realities of sexual assault. Today’s blog is about the unfathomable reach of sexual assault in this country. The narrative that we keep hearing is that, every time an assault makes the news, they are isolated incidents. As if these are rare events that are nothing more than a tiny stain in an otherwise pristine cloth. However, it is far more common than we would like to believe, and something must be done.

Sexual assault does not discriminate.

Sexual assault does not target one gender. It is known that sexual assault unfairly affects women, and the next statistic might be too familiar to us. 1 in 6 American women are survivors of completed or attempted sexual assault. However, men can also be survivors. 1 in 10 survivors are men, and men in college are 5 times more likely to be assaulted than men not in college. It’s important not to silence men in their experiences, as their stories are just as important.

Sexual assault does not target one race. White people report more often than other races, but it has been believed that there are several factors that limit the number of reports from communities of color. Strong racial ties might make it impossible to come forward against someone of your community. Strong cultural differences might make it more difficult, or frowned upon, to leave a toxic relationship. The community that has been affected the most by sexual assault is one that we have neglected for too long: Native Americans. Native Americans are twice as likely to be assaulted. 41% of sexual assaults against American Indians are committed by a stranger, 34% by an acquaintance, and 25% by an intimate or family member.

Sexual assault does not target one sexual identity. 21% of transgenders, queer, and nonconforming people have been sexually assaulted. Openly being part of the LGBTQ+ community puts oneself more at risk for being harassed or assaulted due to the traditional customs of our ancestors.

Sexual assault can affect people in prisons and our armed forces. 60% of sexual assault to inmates is perpretrated by prison or jail staff. Touching of inmates is illegal altogether, yet more than 50% of touching of inmates is nonconsensually done by the staff. The armed forces, our beacon of freedom, is not immune to this disease either. There are not concrete numbers of sexual assaults because it is not reported due to the consequences that the survivors might face, yet the Department of Defense estimated that 20,500 assaults happened in 2018 alone.

No matter where you fall in terms of being a sexual assault survivor, you are more that just a statistic. Sexual assault is a systemic and sociological issue. With the increase in movements and progressive generations, sexual assault experiences will hopefully diminish.

You are stronger than your label assigned to you and for every story, there is another person who can relate. You are not alone in your past. You are loved. You are worthy. It is not your fault.

If you or someone you know is a survivor of sexual assault, please visit our "Crisis Support" tab that has resources for reporting and getting the help you need. If you are a student at Clemson University, you can reach out to any of our leadership for support. RAINN has a survivor hotline, survivor stories, and extended resources to assist you in getting the help you need. Please visit https://www.rainn.org for more information.

See you guys soon!

It’s On Us

All statistics from https://www.rainn.org/statistics

Photo from https://www.safeplaceolympia.org/sexual-assault-response-prevention.html