Violence Against Women~General Info Post, As Posted by one of our Mods
| Jessica |
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We decided to make a post about violence against women. This is just a general well-being post, not aimed at anyone in particular. Since we are a big group of women here, we should watch out for each other's wellness. First we'll give a little info about violence within relationships. It's important to realize that half of all women will experience some form of violence from their spouses during marriage. The driving force for relationship physical and sexual abuse is the offender's need to have power and to be in control.
Common factors are:
- Using coercion and threats: Making and/or carrying out threats to do something to hurt you; threatening to leave you or to commit suicide; making you drop charges; making you do illegal things
- Using intimidation: Making you afraid by using looks, actions, and gestures; smashing things; destroying your property; abusing pets; displaying weapons
- Using emotional abuse: Putting you down; making you feel bad about yourself; calling you names; making you think you're crazy; playing mind games; humiliating you; making you feel guity
- Using isolation: Controlling what you do, whom you see and talk to, what you read, where you go; limiting your outside involvement; using jealousy to justify actions
- Minimizing, denying, and blaming: Making light of the abuse and not taking your concerns about it seriously; saying the abuse didn't happen; shifting responsibility for abusive behavior; saying you caused it
- Using children: Making you feel guilty about the children; using the children to relay messages; using visitation to harass you; threatening to take the children away
- Using male privilege: Treating you like a servant; making all the big decisions; acting like the master of the castle; being the one to define men and women's roles
- Using economic abuse: Preventing you from getting or keeping a job; making you ask for money; giving you an allowance; taking your money; not letting you know about or have access to family incomeNow follows some info on sexual assaults and sexual crimes against women. These are just statistics, to show just how common it is.
Teenage Rape:
- 38% of women who have been raped were 14-17 years old at the time of the attack
- Nearly all female teenage victims know their attacker
- 56% of teenage girls who are raped are raped by a date
- 30% of teenage girls who are raped are raped by a friend
- 11% of teenage girls who are raped are raped by a boyfriend
- 78% of teenage victims do not tell their parents about the incident
- 71% of teenage victims tell a friend that they were raped
- 6% of teenage rape victims report the assault to the police
- 75% of acquaintance rapes involve alcohol
- The risk of rape is four times higher for women aged 16-24 than for any other age group
Rape on College Campuses:
- One in four college women surveyed are victims of rape or attempted rape
- 85% of rapes on campus are acquaintance rapes
- One in six female college students reported having been a victim of rape or attempted rape during the preceeding year
- The majority of reported victims and offenders are college age, with the rape victimization highest among 16-19 year olds
Women's responses to assault facts:
- Only 27% of the women whose sexual assault met the legal definition of rape thought of themselves as rape victims
- 42% of college women who are raped tell no one about their assault
- 42% of the women who were raped said they had sex again with the men who assaulted them
Reporting facts:
- 5% of college women who are raped report the rape to the police
- 5% of college women who are raped seek help at a rape crisis centerIf you decide to report an act of sexual/physical violence to the authorities, you have the following rights:
1. The right to be treated with fairness and with respect for your dignity and privacy
2. The right to be reasonably protected from the accused offender
3. The right to be notified of court proceedings
4. The right to be present at all public court proceedings related to the offense unless the court determines that testimony by you would be materially affected if you heard other testimony at trial
5. The right to confer with the attorney for the Government in the case (i.e. the prosecutor)
6. The right to restitution
7. The right to information about the conviction, sentencing, imprisonment, and release of the offenderSome resources:
National Sexual Assault Hotline --> 1800-656-HOPE and Website
National Domestic Violence Hotline --> 1800-799-SAFE (7233)
National Resource Center on Domestic Violence --> 800-537-2238
Resource Center on Child Protection/Custody --> 800-527-3223
Center for Prevention of Sexual and Domestic Violence --> 206-634-1903
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