|
MYTH: |
Sexual
assault results from an uncontrollable, impulsive sexual urge of
biological origin. |
TRUTH: |
Sexual
assault is motivated by hostility, power, and control. Clinical
studies of offenders find that sexual assaults are not motivated
by sexual desire or by the desire to meet biological needs. Rather,
it is motivated by hostility, power, and control (Groth. 1979).
Unlike animals, humans are capable of controlling how they choose
to act on or express sexual urges. |
|
MYTH: |
Most
sexual assaults are committed by strangers. |
TRUTH: |
Most
sexual assaults are committed by someone the victim knows. Studies
show that approximately 80% of adult women reporting sexual assault
knew their assailant (Russo, 1990: Sorenson, 1987). In FY 1995.
83% of the women and men seeking support from Virginia sexual assault
crisis centers knew their attacker. |
|
MYTH: |
Men
cannot be sexually assaulted. |
TRUTH: |
Men
are victims of sexual assault. It is estimated that 1 out of every
4-10 men will be sexually assaulted either by another male or by
a female during his lifetime (Sorenson, 1987 and Burgess, 1992).
In FY 1995, 7.5% of the individuals seeking services from Virginia
sexual assault crisis centers were male. |
|
MYTH: |
Spouses
cannot sexually assault each other. |
TRUTH: |
Spouses
can and do sexually assault each other. Marital status does not
give either partner the right to have sexual intercourse without
the other spouse's consent. Marital sexual contact without consent
in Virginia is a criminal offense. In FY 1995, 7.5% of individuals
seeking services from Virginia sexual assault crisis centers were
assaulted by their spouse. |
|
MYTH: |
Most
sexual assaults are interracial. |
TRUTH: |
The
majority of assaults are intraracial. The majority of rapes are
intraracial (being of the same race), not interracial (being of
different races). The National Crime Survey (NCS) (1973-87) estimates
that between 12% (nonstranger rapes) and 31.5% (stranger rapes)
were interracial (Wolf Harlow. 1991). |
|
MYTH: |
Most
rapes occur in dark alleys. |
TRUTH: |
A
majority of rapes occur in residence. Most rapes occur in or near
a victim's residence or in or near a friend or relative's home (54%).
An additional 18% of assaults occur on a street, 12% in a place
of business, 8% in a parking lot or garage, and 8% in other places
(NCS. 1989). |
|
MYTH: |
Sexual
assault happens to women who "ask for it" by dressing
provocatively or by acting seductively. |
TRUTH: |
Sexual
assault is not a result of the way a person dresses or acts. It
is the assailant who decides to assault another individual. The
victim is not an accessory to the crime. |
|
MYTH: |
The
crime of rape is usually reported to the police. |
TRUTH: |
The
crime of rape is usually not reported to the police. Rape is an
under-reported crime in the United States with educated estimates
that for every rape reported to the police, 3 - 10 are not reported
(Koss, 1987). |
|
MYTH: |
Most
of the rapes reported to the police are false allegations. |
TRUTH: |
Most
of the rapes reported to the police are not false allegations. According
to the FBI, false allegations of rape are no greater than those
of other crimes. It is estimated that approximately 2% of all crimes
reported to the police are false allegations. |
|
MYTH: |
When
a woman says no she means maybe, or yes. |
TRUTH: |
When
a woman says no, she means no. No means no. Sexual intercourse without
consent is rape. A person has the right to control his or her own
body. |
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