Sexual Assault Resources

I feel the need to share some important information with you guys. I know the purpose of this blog is to uplift and strengthen people, and that is still my goal. But I also feel that people will go through hard times and not know where to turn. So I'm going to share some resources that will hopefully help on your path to healing.

What is sexual assault?
Sexual assault is any unwanted sexual contact or attention resulting from force, threats, bribes, manipulation, pressure, or violence. Sexual violence can take many forms, including rape or attempted rape, domestic and dating violence, and child sexual abuse.

Sexual violence can happen to anyone regardless of age, gender, class, race, occupation, religion, sexual orientation, or physical appearance.

Sexual violence is a crime of power and control. It has nothing to do sex or with how someone dresses or acts. No one asks or deserves to be sexually assaulted.

Utah Statistics

• In 2006, one in eight women (12.4%) and one in 50 men (2%) reported they had experienced rape or attempted rape in their lifetime.
  
• One in three Utah women will experience some form of sexual violence during their lives.
  
• In 2009, 8.2% of female high school students and 5.8% of male high school students in Utah reported they were physically forced to have sexual intercourse when they did not want to.
  
• Utah's rate of rape has been significantly higher than the U.S. rate since 2000.
• In 2008, Utah’s reported rape rate was 63.7 per 100,000 females compared to the U.S. rate of 57.4 per 100,000 females.
• The majority of rapes (88.2%) are not reported to law enforcement.
• Carbon, Uintah, Salt Lake, Tooele, Grand, and Weber counties had higher reported rates of rape than the state rate from 2002-2008.
• 78.7% of females who had been sexually assaulted reported that their first sexual assault occurred before their 18th birthday.
• Only 12.7% of sexual assault victims visit a doctor or medical center for an exam after the incident. Reasons for not seeking medical attention include because they were not injured, were too young to ask for help, were afraid someone would find out what happened, and not thinking clearly.
• Rape victims report a higher prevalence of major depression and dissatisfaction with life compared to non-victims.
• Sexual assaults are rarely committed by strangers. Only 13.3% of victims report being victimized by a stranger. Most often, the assault is committed by a family member (30.9%), intimate partner such as a spouse or boyfriend or girlfriend (20.8%), friend (14.3%), neighbor (9.9%), babysitter (2.2%), or coworker (1.8%).
• Between 80 and 93% of the victims knew their attackers.

Where to go for help
IF YOU LIVE IN UTAH:
Rape Crisis 24 hour hotline: 801-356-2511
Toll Free: 888-421-1100