Sexual Assault Information
SEXUAL ASSAULT IN WISCONSIN
Sexual assaults are acts of violence where sex is used as the weapon. Assaults are motivated primarily out of a sense of entitlement and/or a need to feel powerful by controlling, dominating, or humiliating the victim. Victims/survivors of sexual assaults are forced, coerced, and/or manipulated to participate in unwanted sexual activity.
If you examine the situations in which sexual abuse occurs, there is always a perceived or real power differential. The perpetrator feels entitled to take advantage of another person and believes that he or she can get away with the crime either because the victim will be afraid to tell, or because s/he is unlikely to be believed if s/he does tell.
Whether the crime is rape, incest, child sexual abuse, stalking or sexual harassment, sexual assault impacts our schools, our workplace, our streets and our homes. Victims are our sons, our daughters, our brothers, sisters, friends and grandparents. It is estimated that as many as 1 in 3 women have been the victim of sexual assault at some point in her life: 1 in 5 men. 93% of sexual assault survivors are violated by someone they know and trusted.
Victims/survivors do not cause their assaults and are not to blame. Offenders are responsible for the assaults.
Each misperception about sexual assault that exists in society serves to protect perpetrators, blame victims, and make all of us more vulnerable.
THE MYTH:
False allegations of sexual assault are common.
THE TRUTH:
The reality is that sexual assault is a vastly undereported crime. It is estimated that only 5- 20% of sexual assaults are reported to law enforcement. In addition, the percentage of false allegations is no higher than for other types of violent crimes,
More myths about sexual violence
IMPACT
Sexual assault can have a devastating impact on survivors and our communities. Depression, anxiety, panic, isolation, self-hatred, pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, HIV and AIDS, alcohol and drug dependency, eating disorders and post traumatic stress disorder are just some of the possible effects on survivors of sexual assault. THERE IS HOPE FOR HEALING. When survivors are believed and supported, individuals can find the strength and resiliency to survive and thrive.
"It has shattered my life. But putting myself back together has offered me the opportunity to look at each aspect of my life, allowing me to decide what I would like to keep, what I would like to discard, and what I would like to strengthen. It has given me the opportunity to become a stronger, healthier, person." ~~a survivor.
