 |
 |
| |
| Our
Officers |
| Alex
Kistner
President of M.A.A.R. |
E.
Tyler Felix
Vice President of M.A.A.R. |
Henry Chan
Publicity Chair | Sam
Hardie
Ex-Officio |
| |  |
|
|
| |  |
|  | |
Myth #7: All sexual assault victims
will
report the crime immediately to the police. If they do not report it or
delay in reporting it, then they must have changed their minds after it
happened, wanted revenge, or didn't want to look like they were
sexually active.
Fact: There are many reasons why a sexual
assault victim may not report the assault to the police. It is not easy
to talk about being sexually assaulted. The experience of re-telling
what happened may cause the person to relive the trauma. Other reasons
for not immediately reporting the assault or not reporting it at all
include fear of retaliation by the offender, fear of not being
believed, fear of being blamed for the assault, fear of being
"revictimized" if the case goes through the criminal justice system,
belief that the offender will not be held accountable, wanting to
forget the assault ever happened, not recognizing that what happened
was sexual assault, shame, and/or shock. In fact, reporting a sexual
assault incident to the police is the exception and not the norm. From
1993 to 1999, about 70% of rape and sexual assault crimes were not
reported to the police(6). Because a person did not immediately report
an assault or chooses not to report it at all does not mean that the
assault did not happen.
Victims can report a sexual assault to
criminal justice authorities at any time, whether it be immediately
after the assault or within weeks, months, or even years after the
assault. Criminal justice authorities can move forward with a criminal
case, so long as the incident is reported within the jurisdiction's
statute of limitations. Each state has different statutes of
limitations that apply to the crimes of rape and sexual assault.
Statutes of limitations provide for the time period in which criminal
justice authorities can charge an individual with a crime for a
particular incident. If you have any questions about your state's
statute of limitations, you can call your local police department,
prosecutor's office, local sexual assault victim services program, or
state sexual assault coalition.
Myth #8: Only young, pretty women are assaulted.
Fact:
The belief that only young, pretty women are sexually assaulted stems
from the myth that sexual assault is based on sex and physical
attraction. Sexual assault is a crime of power and control and
offenders often choose people whom they perceive as most vulnerable to
attack or over whom they believe they can assert power. Sexual assault
victims come from all walks of life. They can range in age from the
very old to the very young. Many victims of sexual violence are under
12. Sixty-seven percent of all victims of sexual assault reported to
law enforcement agencies were juveniles (under the age of 18); 34% of
all victims were under age 12. One of every seven victims of sexual
assault reported to law enforcement agencies were under age 6.(7) Men
and boys are sexually assaulted. Persons with disabilities are also
sexually assaulted. Assumptions about the "typical" sexual assault
victim may further isolate those victimized because they may feel they
will not be believed if they do not share the characteristics of the
stereotypical sexual assault victim.
Myth #9: It's only rape if the victim puts up a fight and resists.
Fact:
Many states do not require a victim to resist in order to charge the
offender with rape or sexual assault. In addition, there are many
reasons why a victim of sexual assault would not fight or resist her
attacker. She may feel that fighting or resisting will make her
attacker angry, resulting in more severe injury. She may not fight or
resist as a coping mechanism for dealing with the trauma of being
sexually assaulted. Many law enforcement experts say that victims
should trust their instincts and intuition and do what they think is
most likely to keep them alive. Not fighting or resisting an attack
does not equal consent. It may mean it was the best way she knew how to
protect herself from further injury.
Myth #10: Someone can only be sexually assaulted if a weapon was
involved.
Fact:
In many cases of sexual assault, a weapon is not involved. The offender
often uses physical strength, physical violence, intimidation, threats,
or a combination of these tactics to overpower the victim. As pointed
out in Fact #4, most sexual assaults are perpetrated by someone known
to the victim. An offender often uses the victim's trust developed
through their relationship to create an opportunity to commit the
sexual assault. In addition, the offender may have intimate knowledge
about the victim's life, such as where she lives, where she works,
where she goes to school, or information about her family and friends.
This enhances the credibility of any threats made by the offender since
he has the knowledge about her life to carry them out. Although the
presence of a weapon while committing the assault may result in a
higher penalty or criminal charge, the absence of a weapon does not
mean that the offender cannot be held criminally responsible for a
sexual assault.
Myth #11: Rape is mostly an inter-racial crime.
Fact:
The vast majority of violent crimes, which include sexual assaults and
rapes, are intra-racial, meaning the victim and the offender are of the
same race(8). This is not true, however, for rapes and sexual assaults
committed against Native women. American Indian victims reported that
approximately 8 in 10 rapes or sexual assaults were perpetrated by
whites(9). Native women also experience a higher rate of sexual assault
victimization than any other race(10).
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
