Let’s have a little Q & A session:

Q. How common is sexual violence?

• Sexual violence affects nearly every household in America. Every 98 seconds, an American is sexually assaulted, and every eight minutes a child is sexually abused.
• One in six American women and one in 33 men have experienced sexual violence in their lifetimes.
• On average, there are 321,500 victims (age 12 or older) of rape and sexual assault each year in the United States.

Q. Who are the perpetrators?

• The majority of perpetrators are someone the victim knows. Approximately seven out of 10 of sexual assaults are committed by someone known to the victim.
• For minors, that number is even higher. Of victims under 18, 93% knew the perpetrator.
• Perpetrators of sexual violence are often serial criminals. Out of every 1,000 suspected rape perpetrators referred to prosecutors, 370 have at least one prior felony conviction, including 100 who have five or more.

Q. What resources are available to survivors of sexual violence?

• The National Sexual Assault Hotline is free, confidential, and available 24/7. Survivors of sexual violence and their loved ones can contact the hotline by phone (800.656.HOPE) or chat online (online.rainn.org y en español rainn.org/es) to talk with someone who is trained to help.
• Survivors and loved ones can also find support in their communities by reaching out to a local sexual assault service provider.
• RAINN provides hundreds of articles about recovery, safety, and the criminal justice system at rainn.org (y rainn.org/es).