Sexual Assault Blog #1:
Sexual assault can be defined as sexual exploitation, forcible penetration, or an act of sexual contact on the body of another person, male or female, without his or her consent.
Here, the key words is WITHOUT consent.
How is sexual assault classified?
1. the victim is underage, disabled, or elderly
2. the act was performed without consent
3. the assault caused by the offender resulted in injuries or death to the victim
4. a deadly weapon was used during assault
5. any substance or "date rape drug" was used to subdue the victim
Penalties/Sentencing: Depending on severity of crime, the punishment for an individual committing sexual assault can be anywhere from 2 to 20 years in prison with a fine up to $10,000 (Find Law). When the victim of sexual assault is under the age of 14 the penalties become more extreme, with 25 years minimum in a state prison (Find Law).
The image above displays the close association that the victim has with the perpetrator. According to Texas Woman's University, it is common for the victims to know their perpetrator, including a date, neighbor, co-worker, ex-partner or family member.
Statistics inform citizens that in 2013 there were 17,844 incidents reported in Texas for sexual assault (Crime Reports, p. 49). Of those numbers, 55% were non-family members of the victim, with 45% being related to the offender. The following statistics are the most common, to least common relationship between victim and perpetrator:
- female acquaintances
- female family members
- female strangers
- female friends
- girlfriends
- unknown females
- daughters
- stepdaughters
- other unknown females
The image below is from Fox 29 news, where the article discusses startling numbers that 2 in every 5 women are sexually assaulted, with 1 in every 5 being men. A total of 6.3 million residents in Texas have reported being victims of sexual assault.
Sadly, these statistics only speak for the state of Texas. It can be imagined that the other states have relatable numbers, if not higher. The following blogs will cover more statistics, links, information over laws involving sexual assault, and possible prevention.
References:
http://statelaws.findlaw.com/texas-law/texas-sexual-assault-laws.html
http://sexualassault.appstate.edu/sexual-assault-rape
http://www.twu.edu/counseling/defining-sexual-assault.asp
http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/crimereports/13/citCh7.pdf
