Violent Crime - Suffered In Silence

Although 386 people are raped every day in the United States it is one of the least reported of the violent crimes. Rape, attempted rape, and sexual assault are crimes suffered in silence.

The graph presents data on the number of rapes, attempted rapes, and instances of sexual assault perpetrated on average every year between 1992 and 2000. Although primarily a crime against women, men too suffer these attacks. The percent of violations reported in the National Survey of Criminal Victimization that were also reported to the police is presented on the graph with a triangle-shaped marker.

Rape is defined as forced intercourse with the attacker using a weapon, threat, coercion, violence or the threat of violence on the victim. Sexual assault has a broader definition: any unwanted sexual contact.

Most victims of these crimes are women. Most victims are attacked by a person whom they know. A stranger is the perpetrator in only one out of five instances. Most victims are young. The poor have higher rates of victimization than the more affluent. In 2000, those with an annual income under $7,500 suffered 5.2 rapes or sexual assaults per 1,000 people age 12 or older, those with income under $15,000 the rate was 3 rapes or sexual assaults. The rate dropped to 2 per 100 for those with $15,000 in income or higher.

During the 1990s, trends in rape and sexual assault followed the overall trends in crime: they were down 52% between 1993 and 2000. Nonetheless, one trend during this period is worth noting. Drug-induced rapes came to the attention of lawmakers during the 1990s. Rohypnol, GHB, "ActiveSeX", and Roche are all names describing date rape drugs. These drugs are odorless, usually tasteless, and difficult to detect when in drinks or mixed with other drugs or food. The use of these drugs motivated the passage in 1996 of the Drug-Induced Rape Prevention and Punishment Act. This law provides criminal penalties of up to 20 years imprisonment for any person who distributes a controlled substance to another with the intent to commit a crime of violence, including rape. How effective this act is likely to be in reducing drug-inducted rapes will depend on whether or not victims of the crime come forward and press charges at rates greater than has been the case in the past. The deterrent effect of such legislation is also doubtful. Those who use rape-drugs are not likely to weight issues with a cold rationality.

In a review of rape and sexual assault trends, it is worth mentioning the crisis that gripped the Catholic Church during the 1990s. In the first six months of 2002 alone 225 Catholic priests left the church or were suspended due to allegations of sexual misconduct, primarily with adolescent boys. The abuses by a small number of priests and the seemingly willful ignorance of the matter by those higher up in church hierarchies is what appears to be most damaging to the Catholic Church.

It is worthwhile to note that 225 priests in a total of 45,000 Catholic priests is equal to 0.5% of all Catholic priests. This is not a higher percentage of pedophiles than is estimated for the society at large¹¹. Nonetheless, it is the unique relationship that exists between a priest and a parishioner, particularly a young one, that makes these crimes so tragic and sensational. It is also what brings media attention to the subject and why this reasonably small percentage of all sexual abuse cases gains so much more attention than do all the rest combined.

An interesting fact that distinguishes rape and sexual assault from all other violent crimes is the fact that the rate at which it is perpetrated in urban, suburban, and rural areas does not differ greatly. All other violent crimes are committed at much higher rates in urban areas than in suburban areas and at higher rates in suburbs than in rural areas. Not so for rape and sexual assault.

The next panel will look at urban, suburban, and rural crime rate differentials.

Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics , Rape and Sexual Assault: Reporting to Police and Medical Attention, 1992-2000, August 2002, p. 1 and Crime Victimization 2000, June 2001, p. 11 and Violence Against Women: Estimates for the Redesigned Survey, August 1995, p. 1. National Institute for the Renewal of the Priesthood, "Interesting Statistics Affecting the Priest-hood," available online at http://www.jknirp.com/stats.html.