What is sexual violence?
According to the National Youth Violence Prevention Resource Center, sexual violence occurs when there is forced or unwanted sexual activity or rape. It is also considered sexual abuse to coerce or pressure someone to have sex or try to engage in sexual activity with someone who is under the influence of alcohol or drugs. What is Teen Dating Violence?
• Teen dating violence is defined as psychological/emotional, verbal, physical or sexual abuse • Including forced isolation, threats and/or intimidation • Occurring in the context of a casual or serious (long term) dating relationship. • Both males and females can be perpetrators of teen dating violence.
• Most people are raped by strangers. • 78% of perpetrators were known to the victim. • Sexual assault and domestic violence crimes are usually reported to authorities. • Only 33% of teens report. • Myth: Individuals who commit rape are mentally ill or psychotic and cannot help themselves. • Fact: Very few perpetrators are mentally incompetent and/or out of touch with reality. Rapes may be planned or carried out by acquaintances, intimate partners, family members or strangers. • The victim must have “asked for it” by being seductive, careless, drunk, high, etc.
• No one asks to be abused, injured, or humiliated. This line of thought blames the victim for what happened instead of the perpetrator who chose to commit the crime. Individuals of all ages, all genders, and all walks of life, have been targets of sexual assault. Not one of them “caused” their assailant to commit a crime against them.
• If you wouldn’t have been drinking, you wouldn’t have been sexually assaulted.
• Alcohol is a weapon that some perpetrators use to control their victim and render them helpless. As part of their plan, an assailant may encourage the victim to use alcohol, or identify an individual who is already drunk. Alcohol is not a cause of rape; it is only one of many tools that perpetrators use. • Rape is caused by the perpetrator’s uncontrollable sexual urge. • Fact: Rape is an act of power and control, not sex.
• In addition, one of the biggest myths about rape is that it happens out of sexual desire. Sexual assault is highly sexualized in our society due to the link between sex and violence prevalent in our culture. Many people have sexual desires, but not everyone commits sexual assault. • Survivors of rape are not always those we would consider sexually attractive, such as children or the elderly. • Most rapists have available sexual relationships. • By making the issue about sex and not about violence, this crime seems more acceptable and less severe • The rapist is allowed then to use the excuse that s/he was simply desiring sex, and just "took it too far". Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Rape Prevention •1 in 10 teens will be hurt on purpose by someone they are dating. •1 in 9 teen girls will be forced to have sex. •1 in 5 young women will be a victim of sexual assault while they are in college. •Anyone can be a victim, anyone can be a perpetrator. •We can all help to prevent it. Can Have Tragic Results If You See Something Say Something Facts about dating violence
• Roughly 1.5 million high school boys and girls in the U.S. admit to being intentionally hit or physically harmed in the last year by someone they are romantically involved with. • Teens who suffer dating abuse are subject to long-term consequences like alcoholism, eating disorders, promiscuity, thoughts of suicide, and violent behavior. • 1 in 3 young people will be in an abusive or unhealthy relationship. The tricky question: what does an unhealthy relationship even looks like? We've created a guide to help you spot the signs. Pre-sign up for 1 in 3 of Us, launching May 1! • 33% of adolescents in America are victim to sexual, physical, verbal, or emotional dating abuse. • In the U.S., 25% of high school girls have been abused physically or sexually. Teen girls who are abused this way are 6 times more likely to become pregnant or contract a sexually transmitted infection (STI). • Females between the ages of 16 and 24 are roughly 3 times more likely than the rest of the population to be abused by an intimate partner. • 8 States in the U.S. do not consider a violent dating relationship domestic abuse. Therefore, adolescents, teens, and 20-somethings are unable to apply for a restraining order for protection from the abuser. • Violent behavior often begins between 6th and 12th grade. 72% of 13 and 14-year-olds are “dating.” • 50% of young people who experience rape or physical or sexual abuse will attempt to commit suicide. • Only 1/3 of the teens who were involved in an abusive relationship confided in someone about the violence. • Teens who have been abused hesitate to seek help because they do not want to expose themselves or are unaware of the laws surrounding domestic violence.
• Feeling Down? Talk to a trained crisis counselor. Text “DS” TO 741- 741. Free, 24/7, Confidential
Resources
• loveisrespect.org • ourvoicenc.org crisis line: 828-255-7576 • rainn.org • www.dosomething.org • nccadv.org • helpmateonline.org crisis line: 828-254-0516 • 211 United Way helpline