Running Head: SEXUAL ASSAULT 1

Sexual Assault: A Review of the Literature

Clara Martinez Martinez
University of Texas at El Paso









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Abstract
Sexual Assault is known to many Americans as a violent act and crime. This issue is global, it
does not discriminate gender, age, or ethnicity but it is more prevalent to happen to females. The
government has tried to come up with ways to eliminate this issue but it has been unsuccessful.
This literature review will inform the reader with information of sexual assault as well as ways
on how to approach and help the victims. Surveys as well as research will contribute to the
reliability of this essay on sexual assault.












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Sexual Assault: A Review of the Literature
Sexual Assault is an act that happens here in the United States but also all over the world.
Sexual assault is unwanted forced sexual contact that can come in many forms. Victims tend not
to do anything when they experienced the sexual assault due to fear of the perpetrator. This
experience leaves the victim physically, mentally and emotionally scarred for life.
This issue serves as an example that one should follow in order to have more safety or help
eliminate if possible. Nevertheless, victims of sexual assault are still afraid to talk about it
openly, this is because society doesnt know how to approach them or the situation due to
possible education on the issue and lack of criminal justice response; therefore we need to take
action against sexual assault and learn how to approach it to stop the silence on this issue. But in
order to learn more about sexual assault and how to approach it, four important questions need to
be considered:
1. What is sexual assault?
2. Who are the victims/offenders of sexual assault?
3. What are the effects of sexual assault?
4. What is the government doing to prevent sexual assault?
The following review of literature will: provide information regarding what is sexual assault,
discuss who the victims are and perpetrators, inform about the effects behind sexual assault, and
present ways the government has tried to help.
What is sexual assault?
The definition of sexual assault is unwanted sexual contact which includes sexual touching and
fondling as well intercourse including vaginal, anal, or oral penetration and it may be by a body
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Figure 1.
Do you know what sexual assault
is?
Yes
No
part or object (RAINN, 2009). According to the organization RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest
National Network) (2009) sexual violence can come in many forms. RAINN (2009) mentions
such forms include Stranger/Acquaintance/Partner Rape, Incest, and Sexual Exploitation. Sexual
violence occurs globally and has been reported across various cultures and among all
demographic and socio-economic groups (Adefolalu, 2014). One particular idea is that it doesnt
discriminate it can happen to any gender, but some are more at risk than other.
Many people are aware of what sexual assault is Figure 1 illustrates an unscientific online
survey conducted by the author to get an idea of how much people know about what sexual
assault is. Five out of the five participants or 100% answered that they knew what sexual assault
is, and 0% meaning not one participant answered no for an answer (see Figure 1): Figure 1. A
chart depicting survey responses to the question, Do you know what sexual assault is?
Although these results cannot be
generalized to the population at large, this
small sample may be indicative that these same people would not necessarily question what
sexual assault is because they already have a basis of knowledge in regards to this specific
subject. Yet even though many people know what sexual assault is, this issue still continues to
exist.

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Figure 2.
Who are the victims/offenders of sexual assault?
Although both sexes are affected, women are usually the victims and men the
perpetrators; in some parts of the world, almost one in every five women has suffered at least one
incident of sexual violence (Adefolalu, 2014). Both sexes including minors, adults, and elders.
Figure 2 shows a non-representative survey
conducted online to determine who is
targeted the most females or males and/or
both. The same five participants from the
previous question also responded to this
question. Four or 80% answered that both
are targeted and only one participant or 20%
answered that none of the participant or 0%
answered both (see Figure 2): Figure 2. A
chart depicting survey responses to the question, Who is targeted the most females or males
and/or both? Again, although these results cannot be generalized to the entire population the
outcome of this survey reveals that a higher percentage of people believe that both genders are
targeted equally, when in reality the females are the one that are targeted the most.
To better determine who the victims and the perpetrators are more information
will be given. The National Institute of Justice (2010) research on rape and sexual violence
indicate that most victims know the attacker or perpetrator. In the research Adegoke Adefolalu
(2014) performed he mentioned that the number one reason why victims delayed presenting at
the hospital was because of fear of the perpetrator. This means that most perpetrators could
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potentially be people related or a former intimate partner and acquaintance to the victim (The
White House Council, 2014).
What are the effects of sexual assault?
According to STARS (Sexual Trauma and Assault Response Services) (2011), the effects
on the victim can be psychological/mental, emotional, and physical. These effects might be long-
lasting and there is not one normal reaction to this circumstance. The psychological problems
victims might experience include depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder or
known as PTSD (The White House Council, 2014). Sexually transmitted diseases/infection
(STDs or STIs) and pregnancy can also be a physical effect, for this reason it is important for
victims to seek medical attention to receive the proper treatment for possible pregnancy or for
STDs/STIs. Victims must also understand that they need to preserve themselves just how they
were left because when seeking medical attention the doctor could collect evidence linked to the
rapist to find out who the perpetrator was (A Band Back Together, n.d.). Lastly the emotional
effect will be the hardest for victims to cope with. Victims tend to feel alone and they self-blame
themselves feeling unworthy and very confused and sometimes all these negative emotions lead
them to turn to suicide as a means to alleviate their pain. The effects range depending on the
victim but it is important that after the experience they seek attention either from loved ones,
medical or for the criminal justice.
Usually victims seek help from their loved ones to help with their effects. As their love
one, it is important to know the correct ways to help the victim but recover from the sexual
assault. According to A Band Back Together (n.d.) encourage but never pressure your loved one
to seek medical attention, always listen without judgment, and assure them that it wasnt their
fault reminding them that you will be by their side no matter what and lastly remind them that
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Figure 3.
there is no right or wrong way to feel after being sexually assaulted, where in reality the loved
one does the opposite of this. Figure 3 again shows the online survey that the same five
participant took regarding the question what type of effect(s) does the victim experience. Like
the last question five out of the five
participant answered 100% that the victims
experience psychological, physical and
emotional effects in other words all of the
above and none or 0% choose a specific
effect (see Figure 3.) Figure 3. A chart
depicting survey responses to the question
What type of effect(s) does the victim experience? Even though these results cannot be
accounted for the majority of population that exist, the survey shows that people know what
effects victims go through after experiencing sexual assault. This question might be misleading
due to the fact that indeed people know what effects victims have, the only thing it does not
answer or missing is that they dont know how to approach the victim.
What is the government doing to prevent sexual assault?
On October 27, 2010 the White House Council on Women and Girls and the Office of
Vice President held the first national roundtable on sexual assault that also co-host an
interagency working group on violence against women. This was a first-of-its kind forum for
collaboration to prevent sexual assault and provide support for victims (The White House
Council, 2014). Before this we would follow the Violence Against Women Act first enacted in
1994, which was the backbone in response to domestic and dating violence, rape, sexual assault
and stalking and ever since then it has been improved and the Obama Administration has been
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Figure 4.

part of it. David Jackson (2014) wrote an article in regards to how Obama is aware of the
epidemic of sexual assault, and has pressured the task force of administration to come up with
recommendations on how to prevent and respond to sexual assault. Figure 4 illustrates the same
online survey from the previous questions to determine if people know what the government is
doing to prevent this issue. This time three out of the five or 60% participants answered that they
did not know what the government is doing
to prevent this issue while the other 2
participant or 40% did know what the
government is doing. Figure 4. A chart
depicting survey responses to the question
Do you know what the government is doing
to prevent this issue? Again just like all the
other charts or survey questions these numbers cannot be generalized to count the population, the
results show that people dont really know what the government is doing to prevent this issue.
Furthermore, according to the National Crime Victimization Survey, between 2005-2010, only
36% of rapes or sexual assaults were reported to the police (Planty, 2013). But even when sexual
assaults are reported, many perpetrators are not arrested and many cases are not prosecuted (The
White House Council, 2014). For these reasons the criminal justice has tried to improve this
issue by having specialized training for law enforcement and prosecutors also to properly collect
the forensic evidence, and the rape kit backlog meaning once evidence is collected it needs to be
tested for DNA (The White House Council, 2014). Based on this research it seems that the
government has made efforts on this issue but for some reason the people dont know about it.
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The government needs to educate the people on what they are doing for the people to be aware of
the efforts they make.
Conclusion
Sexual assault has been happening without being stopped or with no solution. What is
agreed upon is that we know what it is who it involves and the effects it has on the victims. The
problem is that this society doesnt know how to approach the victim or the situation and does
not really know what the government is doing, thus the government must educate people on how
to improve on this issue overall. Future research need to continue to ensure that sexual assault is
not silenced and to know about the changing approaches to help this issue as time passes.












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References
A Band Back Together. (n.d.) How to help someone heal from a rape or sexual assault Retrieved
from http://www.bandbacktogether.com/How-To-Help-Someone-Heal-From-Sexual-
Assault/
Adefolalu, A. (2014). Fear of the perpetrator: a major reason why sexual assault victims delayed
presenting at hospital. Tropical Medicine and International Health, 19 (3), 343-347. doi:
10.111/tmi.12249
Duran, M. (2011) Sexual trauma and assault response services- STARS Retrieved from
http://www.stars-elpaso.org/get/effects-of-sexual-assault
Jackson, D. (2014) Obama targets sexual assault problem, USA TODAY Retrieved from
http://www.usatoday.com/story/theoval/2014/01/22/obama-sexual-assault-the-white-
house-council-on-women-and-girls/4763597/
National Institute of Justice. (2010) Victims and perpetrators Retrieved from
http://www.nij.gov/topics/crime/rape-sexual-violence/Pages/victims-perpetrators.aspx
RAINN. (2009) Types of sexual violence Retrieved from http://www.rainn.org/get-
information/types-of-sexual-assault
The White House Council on Women and Girls. (2014). Rape and sexual assault: a renewed call
to action. Retrieved from
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http://iaclea.org/visitors/about/documents/WhiteHouseCouncil_sexual_assault_report_1-
21-14.pdf