Sexual assault hurts victims in that assault can derail a victim’s life and make it impossible to live as she did before the attack. Sexual assault, particularly rape, can cause the victim to develop depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), resulting in instances of self-harm, sexually transmitted infections, substance abuse, dissociation, eating disorders, sleep disorders, pregnancy, and suicide.

• 94 percent of female rape victims develop PTSD in the weeks following their assault.

 

• 33 percent of female rape victims contemplate suicide (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, 2018).

 

• 13 percent of female rape victims attempt suicide following their attack (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, 2018).

 

• Victims of sexual assault are 10 times more likely than non-assault victims to use major drugs such as marijuana, cocaine, and opioids to cope with the pain of their attack (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, 2018).

 

• 38 percent of assault victims develop significant issues with co-workers, bosses, peers, and supervisors (National Sexual Violence Resource Center, 2013).

 

• 19 percent of female rape victims end up not attending work for long periods of time (National Sexual Violence Resource Center, 2013).

 

• In some cases, women’s responses to sexual assault cause employers to terminate employment because of the woman’s compromised emotional stability (National Sexual Violence Resource Center, 2013).

 

• 55 percent of Native American women, 38.2 percent of black women, and 46.9 percent of white women are expected to experience physical sexual violence by any person.

 

• 44 percent of all women are expected to experience physical sexual violence by any person in their lifetime.

 

• 31 percent of women experience dating violence during their lifetime.

 

• 50 percent of American women experience psychological abuse from romantic partners in their lifetime.

 

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