Rape & Sexual Abuse Trauma

Rape and Sexual Abuse is the world's second crime. Rape is not about sex, it is not about passion or lust. Rape is sexual intercourse against a person's will. The main cause of rape is an aggressive desire to dominate and control the victim rather than an attempt to achieve sexual gratification. Rape is an act of violence. There are no special categories one must fit into to become a victim of rape. It doesn't only happen to beautiful women who walk alone at night. Most often it's the person the victim knows or trusts.

There are many types of rape:

Forced Rape: Sexual intercourse carried out against a person’s will by the use or threat of physical force is sometimes referred to as forcible rape.

Date Rape/Acquaintance Rape: When a person rapes a person he or she knows. The 2 people may be friends, former lovers, or presently dating. Sadly, studies point toward a woman is more likely to be raped by someone she knows (“friend”, relative or acquaintance) The term acquaintance rape is usually applied when the sexual intercourse is nonconsensual but does not involve the physical coercion typically associated with forcible rape, such as assault or threats of violence.

Marital or Partner Rape: Unwilling sexual intercourse of a person's spouse or partner.

Statutory Rape: Sexual intercourse with a person who has not reached the age of consent is known as statutory rape. The age of consent for sexual intercourse varies state to state. Under most state laws, the younger the victim is, the greater the punishment.

Rape of Males: It is possible, although unlikely, for a woman to be charged with raping a man. Most common rape to a man or boy is done by a male which is forced oral sex or sodomy.

Statistics

Rape is the world's second leading crime

Every 2 minutes in America a woman is sexually assaulted

1 in 3 women are survivors of sexual abuse

1 in 8 men are survivors of sexual abuse

80% of survivors know their attacker as a relative or acquaintance

Only 2% of rapists ever go to prison

58% of rapes are unreported

17% of women are raped by a partner or spouse

1 in 3 girls and 1 in6 boys will be sexually abused

before the age of 18

1 in 5 children are solicited online for sex

40% of women with disabilities experience sexual assault

15 out of 16 rapists walk free.

(U.S. Department, Bureau of Justice Statistics)

Effects of Sexual Abuse

"People who are sexually abused or raped can experience feelings of
violation that goes beyond physical injury. The person may become distrustful of men (or women, depending on who abused them) and encounter feelings of shame, humiliation, embarrassment.

Some victims may suffer from Rape Trauma Syndrome which is a form of post-traumatic stress disorder. It is a psychological reaction to rape involving feelings of shock and shame. Victims who experience this syndrome are often reluctant to report a rape. Some victims encounter physical symptoms such as headaches, sleep
disturbances, and fatigue. They may also develop psychological disturbances related to the circumstances of the rape, such as intense fears. These intense fears may prevent them from socializing or traveling as they would otherwise do normally.

A person who causes sexual abuse is wrong, weather it is a family member who does this frequently or periodically they are wrong. A person who rapes is wrong, despite what the person may tell the victim; no person deserves abuse and the person or people involved need to be stopped.

Rape is not anyone’s fault but the perpetrators! If you are a victim of sexual abuse of any kind, please tell someone immediately."

Information Source: www.endallthepain.com