The DVSAC logo image reaches out on many levels. The sun represents permanence, strength and hope as a new day begins. The rays of the sun reach out embracing the Virgin Islands. The circle demonstrates continuity and support. The rings indicate depth. The colors chosen represent national colors associated with both domestic violence and sexual assault organizations. The colors have been bumped up only slightly in intensity to instill an island flavor.

• Home
• About Us
  • Mission & Goals
  • Directors & Staff
  • Council Members
  • Funding
• What We Do
  • DVSAC Workshops
  • Activities
  • People's Court Watch
  • Coordinated Response
• Getting Help
• Issues & Facts
  • Domestic Violence
  • Dating Violence
  • Sexual Assault
  • Stalking
  • Human Trafficking
• News & Events
  • Calendar
  • Newsletters
  • Special Events
• Contact Us

Sexual Assault Facts

Rape

Rape is forced sexual intercourse, including both psychological coercion and physical force. Forced sexual intercourse means vaginal, anal, or oral penetration by the offender(s). This category includes incidents where the penetration is from a foreign object such as a bottle. This definition includes attempted rapes, male and female victims, and heterosexual and homosexual rape.
(Definition provided by the US Department of Justice's Annual National Crime Victimization Survey.)

• 1.3 American women are raped every minute
• 78 rapes occur per hour

• 1872 rapes occur each day
• 56,160 rapes occur each month
• 700,000 rapes occur each year

• 1 out 6 American women have been victims of an attempted or completed rape in their lifetime (14.8% completed rape; 2.8% attempted rape)
• A total of 17.7 million women have been victims of these crimes

• All: 17.6%
• White: 17.7%
• Black: 18.8%
• Asian/Pacific Islander: 6.8%
• American Indian/Alaskan: 34.1%
• Mixed Race: 24.4%

• 3% of American men (2.78 million men) have experienced an attempted rape or completed rape
• 1 in every 10 rape victims are male

(Statistics provided by Prevalence, Incidence and Consequences of Violence Against Women Survey and 2003 National Crime Victimization Study).

Sexual Assault

Sexual Assault includes a wide range of victimizations, distinct from rape or attempted rape. These crimes include completed or attempted attacks generally involving unwanted sexual contact between the victim and offender. Sexual assaults may or may not involve force and include such things as grabbing or fondling. Sexual assault also includes verbal threats.

Every two and a half minutes, somewhere in America, someone is sexually assaulted.

Here's the math:

According to 2005 statistics from The Women's Coalition of St. Croix, Family Resource Center (St. Thomas), The Safety Zone (St. John) and Legal Services (St. Thomas) the number of clients served totaled: 1353 (domestic violence), 362 (sexual assault), 1050 (personal advocacy), 54 (elder abuse), 1080 (crisis counseling), 895 (follow-up services), 1115 (telephone contact), 85 (emergency financial aid), 312 (group treatment/support), 148 (shelter/safe housing), 880 (criminal and civil advocacy) and 1459 (information/referral).

Last Modified: 05-Sep-2010