Date Rape Statistics

18% of women and 1% of men experience rape at some point during their lifetime. More than 35% of the female victims are between the ages of 18 and 24.

© Wheeler Cowperthwaite (CC BY 2.0) via Flickr

Thinking about date rape (someone you know conducting the crime) is unpleasant, but necessary in order to protect yourself and those you love. Keep reading to learn the important facts you should know.

Date Rape Facts

• How many women experience date rape?
  A little over 18% of women experience date rape at some point in their lives.

• How many men experience date rape?
  Just over 1% (1.4%) of men experience date rape at some point in their lives.

• What is the average age of women who experience rape?
  37% of women who experienced rape were college age (between the ages of 18 and 24).

• How many date rapes are committed by a current boyfriend, girlfriend, or a spouse?
  25% of the reported date rapes are committed by someone very close to the victim, such as a current or ex-boyfriend or girlfriend, or even an ex-spouse.

• How often is a stranger the perpetrator of the rape?
  In only 13.8% of the cases is a stranger involved in the rape. 51% of the time an intimate partner is the cause and 40.8% of the time it's an acquaintance. For the remaining 12%, the perpetrator is a family member.

• How many sexual assaults occur in the victim's home or the home of someone they know?
  A shocking 55% of the date rapes occurred in the victim's own home. As many as 12% of the rapes occurred in a relative's or acquaintance's home.

Reporting the Crime

• How many sexual assaults are reported to police?
  Only 42% of the victims of the attacks reported it to the police.

• What is the top reason victims decide not to report date report to the police?
  20% of rape victims feared that the perpetrator would retaliate if they reported it to the police. 13% of the victims also believed that the police would not help them and another 13% felt that the issue was too personal to report.

• What percent of rape victims worry that they will be blamed?
  As many as 69% of rape victims worry about being blamed for the crime. In fact, 71% of victims worry about their relatives even finding out about the crime.

• What percent of cases reported to police turn out to be untrue?
  While it's hard to pinpoint, experts believe that between 2% and 8% of the cases reported turn out to be untrue.

• How many perpetrators never spend a day in jail?
  For every 1,000 cases of rape, only 6 will spend time in jail. That means more than 99% of perpetrators will walk free.

The Aftermath of Date Rape

• How many victims experience PTSD following a rape?
  More than 30% of victims who experienced rape had some type of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder following the occurrence. Almost 10% of rape victims suffer from long-term PTSD.

• How many women who experienced rape suffer from depression?
  Just about 30% of rape victims have some type of depressive episode following the occurrence. This is in contrast to the 10% of women who were never raped who suffer from depression.

• How many rape victims contemplate suicide?
  One-third of rape victims have thought about suicide at some point following the crime. This makes them 4 times more likely than non-victims to think about suicide.

• How many rape victims don't experience any type of distress?
  Approximately 1 in 10 victims do not have any negative emotional behaviors as a result of the rape.

• How many female rape victims need medical attention after the attack?
  75% of female rape victims require medical attention following a rape.

• How many victims of date rape accept support from victim service providers?
  Only about 26% of victims accept or seek out support from victim service providers after violation by an intimate partner.

College and Date Rape

• What percent of college students are away from home when they are a victim of rape?
  51% of college-aged rape victims were away from home when the crime occurred. The other 50% were non-college students of the same age, living at home.

• How often do non-college students report rape compared to college students?
  12% of college students think it isn't necessary to report the rape to authorities, whereas only 5% of non-college students feel the same way.

• What is the top reason college-aged victims don't report the date rape?
  Since date rape occurs from someone the victim knows, many victims are embarrassed or ashamed to report the crime.

• How many college-aged date rape victims are men?
  Men make up as much as 10% of the college-aged date rape victims today. The crime is usually committed by another man.

Date Rape Drugs

• What is the most common date rape drug used?
  Alcohol is the number one date rape drug used. Even though it's technically not a drug, any substance that impairs a person's judgement is considered a drug.

• What are the other most used date rape drugs (aside from alcohol)?
  There are three common date rape drugs used:
  • Rohypnol, known as Roach, Mind Erasers, and Roofies
    
  • GHB, known as Cherry Meth, G-Juice, and Liquid Ecstasy
    
  • Ketamine, known as Kit Kat, Special K, and Super Acid

Bottom Line

Rape isn't just an issue with strangers. It can happen with anyone who you know and when you least suspect it. Always keep your guard up and surround yourself with people you trust to help you and your loved ones stay safe.

Sources:

• BJS
  
• RAINN
  
• RAINN
  
• CDC
  
• NDAA
  
• Medical University of South Carolina
  
• Women's Health
  
• BJS
  
• BJS