The Assault: The Facts

Sexual Assault:

• When the act is intentional and is committed either by a) physical force, violence, threat or intimidation; b) ignoring the objections of another person....
• noun: Conduct of a sexual on indecent nature toward another person that is accompanied by actual or threatened physical force or that induces fear, shame or mental suffering.
• A sex act committed by one person on another pr son, or against that other person's will
• A sex act occurs when one person's genitals touch another persons mouth or genitals, or when a substitute for a person's genitals, such as fingers or an object, touches another person's genitals.

Pennsylvania Law: Considered a misdemeanor of the first or second degree. They can carry a 9 month to 2 year sentence, if convicted.

• Girls who were raped are about three times more likely to suffer from psychiatric disorders and over four times more likely to suffer from drug and alcohol abuse in adulthood (Kendler, et al., 2000).
• Female students who have been physically and/or sexually abused by a dating partner in the 9th through 12th grades are at increased risk for substance abuse, unhealthy weight control, risky sexual behavior, pregnancy and suicide (Silverman, et al., 2001).
• 23% of all sexual offenders are under the age of 18 (Snyder, 2000).
• Female adolescent abuse survivors are more likely to develop eating disorders - 18% binge and purge, while only 6% of non-abused adolescent girls do so - and are more likely to use illegal drugs - 30% compared to 13% of teenage girls who were never sexually abused (The Commonwealth Fund, 1997).
• The cost of crime to victims is an estimated $450 billion per year. Rape is the most costly to its victims, totaling $127 billion annually. (Miller, et al., 1996)
• On average, from 1992-2000, only 31% of all rapes and sexual victimizations were reported to the police(Hart, Timothy and Rennison, 2000)
• The overall probability that a rapist will be sent to prison for his crime: 16.3%. The average sentence: 128 days. (National Center for Policy Analysis, 1999)
• 1.8 million of the 22.3 million adolescents in the United States have been sexually assaulted (Kilpatrick and Saunders).
• Teens 16 to 19 years of age were three and a half times more likely than the general population to be victims of rape, attempted rape, or sexual assault (Rennison, 2000).

The absence of injuries often suggests to others that the victim failed to resist and, therefore, must have consented. Often, rapists only need the threat of violence to control their victims.

Everyone has the right to change their mind - even about sex. One form of sexual contact does not necessarily open the door to other sexual activity. Even if the two have had sex before, the perpetrator does not have the right to force sex on the victim.

There are many ways a person can be forced into sexual activity. Sometimes perpetrators use physical force or a weapon, but more often they use coercion, manipulation, or psychological pressure.

Allowing survivors to discuss sexual abuse/assault helps them heal. Speaking out about sexual assault might be an essential part of the recovery process. It empowers the survivor to erase the shame and stop the silence of sexual violence. However, no survivor should be forced to speak, publicly or privately, before they are ready. Every survivor is the expert on their own recovery. For many, recovery becomes an ongoing process of change that may continue for 1, 5, or 20 years.

I may have mentioned my incident in passing, but never to the full extent. I know that when I first ever discussed it, there was not assault mentioned. Chunks of the story were left out, and I made it sound like something normal. I've blamed myself for a long time. A really long time. I spent a lot of time not thinking that it was an assault, it was just my fault, and I deserved it. I know that it isn't my fault, but I still haven't come to terms with that. I still feel responsible. The first time I told the story, I explained it to my shrink, not in full detail, but overall. She said that it's good to tell my story because it takes away some of the strength and control it has over me. Therefore, I will work on my story, and eventually, the drafts I write I will be able to post, and let myself tell the whole thing, just how it happened.