STATISTICS

Citations can be found by clicking on the footnote immediately following the statistic.

Maine Statistics

A recent study found that nearly one in five adult Maine residents reports that they have been the victim of rape or attempted rape during their lifetime; 28.5% of female respondents and 7.4% of male respondents have experienced this devastating crime at some point in their lives. 1

Roughly 14,000 Maine residents may be the victim of rape or unwanted sexual activity during any 12 month period. 2

48.6% of adult Maine sexual assault survivors report that they have ever been diagnosed as depressed, as opposed to 17.5% individuals who have never been sexually assaulted. 3

38.3% of adult Maine sexual assault survivors report that they have ever been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, as opposed to 14.2% of individuals who have never been sexually assaulted. 4

28.7% of women sexual assault survivors in Maine report they drank heavily in the past month (compared to 4.4% of individuals who have never been sexually assaulted). 5

According to the Children's Safety Network and Data Analysis Resource Center, the comprehensive costs of sexual abuse of children in Maine in 2004 were $138,057,000. This estimate takes into consideration future earnings, medical and mental health expenses, and public programs, among other things. 6

In 2005, 90% of victim/survivors who called Maine's sexual assault crisis and support line were women; almost 10% were men. 7

In Maine, there were 340 rapes reported to police in 2006, which is a 5.6% increase from 2005. 8

In 2005, Maine's sexual assault support centers served over 1,500 victims/survivors of sexual assault, having over 9,000 contacts with those clients. 9

National Statistics

One in four women and one in six men will be sexually assaulted in their lifetime. 10

One in every seven victims of sexual assault is under the age of six. 11

One in four victims of sexual assault under the age of twelve is a boy. 12

Persons under 18 years of age account for 67% of all sexual assault victimizations reported to law enforcement agencies. Children under twelve years old account for 34% of those cases, and children under six years old account for 14% of those cases. 13

17.7 million women in the US have been the victim of a rape or attempted rape at some point in their lives. 14

Of female Americans who are raped, 54% experience their first rape before age 18. 15

In a survey of college women, 13.3% indicated that they hve been forced to have sex in a dating situation. 16

Only 13% of the sexual assault cases disclosed in the National Survey of Adolescents were reported to police, 6% to child protective services, 5% to school authorities, and 1.3% to other authorities. 86% of the sexual assaults went unreported. 17

In 2004, only 36% of rapes/sexual assaults were reported to law enforcement, which is a 3% decrease compared to 2003. 18

Other Statistics

The United States has the highest rate of rape of any country that publishes such statistics; 13 times higher than Great Britain and 20 times higher than Japan. 19

84% of women who are raped know their assailant. 20

More than half of victims who have experienced sexual assault as an adult have been victims of multiple assaults. 21

Only 2% of all sexual assault accusations reported to law enforcement turn out to be false. This is the same rate as other types of violent crimes. 22

The chances that a woman will develop Post Traumatic Stress Disorder after being raped are 50-90%. 23

Rape has the highest annual victim costs compared to all other crimes except child sexual assault; this cost has been estimated at $127 billion per year. 24

92,700 men are forcibly raped each year in the United States. 25

Footnotes

1. Rubin, Mark. Maine Crime Victimization Report: Informing Public Policy for Safer Communities. Muskie School of Public Service, University of Southern Maine, 2007.
2. Rubin, Mark. Maine Crime Victimization Report: Informing Public Policy for Safer Communities. Muskie School of Public Service, University of Southern Maine, 2007.
3. 2006 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, Maine CDC.
4. 2006 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, Maine CDC.
5. 2006 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, Maine CDC.
6. Cost of Child Abuse and Neglect in Maine, Children's Safety Network Economic and Data Analysis Resource Center at Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, Calverton, MD.
7. MECASA Center Statistics, 2005.
8. Crime in Maine 2006. Maine Department of Public Safety, 2007.
9. MECASA Center Statistics, 2005.
10. Finkelhor, David, et al. Sexual Abuse in a National Survey of Adult Men and Women: Prevalence, Characteristics and Risk Factors. Child Abuse and Neglect: The International Journal v 14 n1 p 19-28, 1990.
11. Kilpatrick, D.G., Saunders, B.E., Smith, D.W. Youth Victimization: Prevalence and Implications. Washington, D.C. Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice, 2003.
12. Sexual Assault of Young Children as Reported to Law Enforcement: Victim, Incident, and Offender Characteristics. US Department of Justice Statistics.
13. Juvenile Offenders and Victims: 1999 National Report. National Center for Juvenile Justice, Washington, DC; US Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. September, 1999.
14. Snyder, Howard. Sexual Assault of Young Children as Reported to Law Enforcement: Victim, Incident, and Offender Characteristics. Bureau of Justice Statistics, US Department of Justice, 2000.
15. Research in Brief, Findings from the National Violence Against Women Survey, National Institute of Justice Centers for Disease Control, November, 1998.
16. Tjaden, Patricia and Nancy Thoennes. Prevalence, Incidence, and Consequences of Violence Against Women: Findings from the National Violence Against Women Survey. National Institute of Justice, US Department of Justice, November 1998.
17. Johnson, I. and R. Sigler. Forced Sexual Intercourse Among Intimates, 2000.
18. Criminal Victimization, 2004. Bureau of Justice Statistics, US Department of Justice, 2005.
19. Kilpatrick, D.G., C.N. Edmunds & A. Seymour. Rape in America: A Report to the Nation. (1992) Arlington, VA: National Victim Center.
20. Kilpatrick, D.G., C.N. Edmunds & A. Seymour. Rape in America: A Report to the Nation. (1992) Arlington, VA: National Victim Center.
21. Feldhaus, K. Annals of Emergency Medicine. Volume 36, pp 33-27, July, 2000.
22. Reno, J., D. Marcus, M. Leary, K. Turman. First Response to Victims of Crime. Office for Victims of Crime, US Department of Justice, May, 2000.
23. Population Reports: Ending Violence Against Women. Population Information Program, Center for Communications Programs, The Johns Hopkins School of Public Health & Center for Health and Gender Equity, 2000.
24. Evaluation and Management of the Sexually Assaulted or Sexually Abused Patient. American College of Emergency Physicians, 1999.
25. Tjaden, Patricia and Nancy Thoennes. Prevalence, Incidence, and Consequences of Violence Against Women: Findings from the National Violence Against Women Survey. National Institute of Justice, US Department of Justice, November 1998.