Department of Justice on Sexual

Violence
The Department of Justice released statistics
regarding rape and sexual assault. The U.S.
government created laws to combat these
perpetrators of these crimes and have had a
positive influence in victims contacting law
enforcement for help.
College students face a high risk for being
victims of rape and sexual assault. Many
people do not know or realize that these crimes
have the potential to cause more harm than
just the act itself. These crimes can create
long-term to lifetime effects for the victim.
College students at risk
College students who survive rape and sexual
assault face the risk of suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder, depression and drug
or alcohol abuse, which can hamper their
chance of success in school. Depression,
anxiety and substance abuse lead to higher
college dropout rates.
According to the Department of Justice, over
half of survivors who were forcibly raped while
under the influence of alcohol or drugs
developed lifetime PTSD. These victims were
almost five times more likely to have lifetime
major depressive episodes than non-victims.
For more information on rape and sexual
assault prevention, visit
http://www.health.umd.edu/CAREresources

Women and girls are the vast majority of

victims: nearly 20 percent of women have
been raped in their lifetimes.
Photo by theobamacrat.com
Statistics show it all
Getting victims to feel comfortable seeking
help from law enforcement has always been a
problem. Only 12 percent of student victims
report the assault to law enforcement. For
more statistics on rape and sexual assault, visit
https://rainn.org/statistics.
One in five college women has been
sexually assaulted.
51 percent of female victims reported
they were raped by a current or former
intimate partner.
41 percent of female victims reported
they were raped by an acquaintance.
14 percent of female victims reported
they were raped by a stranger.
Nearly half of female survivors reported
rape and assault before they were 18.

Zachary Deshaies | W/R#6 TA#1 | Department of Justice | Page 3

The government fights back

The Violence Against Women Act, authored by
then-Senator Joe Biden, addresses the problem
of rape and sexual assault through multiple
revisions in multiple areas such as penalties for
the perpetrator, protection orders and
resources for survivors. For more information
on VAWA, visit
http://www.justice.gov/tribal/violence-againstwomen-act-vawa-reauthorization-2013-0.
The Department of Justice works to increase
arrest and conviction rates by supporting
multidisciplinary sexual assault teams. For
more information on how the Criminal Justice
System functions, visit
http://www.bjs.gov/content/justsys.cfm.
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