The Truth About Sexual Assault

Myth:  Real Victims Aggressively Fight Back 

Truth: Out of fear, most sexual assault victims freeze or cooperate with the offender

Myth: Sexual Assault Is So Traumatic That the Victim Will Have a Perfect Memory of What Occurred. 

Truth: Trauma (fear response in the brain) can impact memory. Trauma memory is often fragmented, incomplete and remembered as sensations and images

Myth: Rapist typically have a weapon

Truth: Most sex offenders do not use a weapon such a gun or a knife. In fact most do not use violence at all.

Myth:  Sexual Assault is rare.

Truth: Sexual Assault is not rare.

1 in 4 women and 1 in 6 men

are sexually assaulted in a lifetime.

Myth: Real Sexual Assault Victims Report to the Police Immediately

Truth: Most victims never report to law enforcement. Those who do, typically delay reporting for at least 24 hours.

Myth: Rape Victims Immediately Label What Happened to Them As Rape

Truth: Naming what occurred often takes victims months if not years to understand and come to terms with.

Myth: Rape is really just miscommunication

Truth: Sexual Assault is about power and control, not miscommunication. Sexual assault is a purposeful, often premeditated behavior on the part of an offender.  

Myth: He Raped Me But He Wouldn't Do It To Someone Else.

Truth:  Most Sex Offenders Are Repeat Offenders. Some research indicates that the average offender has between 300-400 victims in a lifetime.

Myth: It's The Victim's Fault If She Was Intoxicated.

Truth: sexual assault is not about the victim's behavior. No victim behavior equates rape.