Sexual Assault Offenses Against Men May Equal Those Against Women

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and many organizations are focusing on the trauma women face during and after rape. Indeed, it's a tragedy no person should ever have to deal with. With that said, sexual violence is something many men endure as well, though the degree to which it occurs is debated. The Definition of Rape Has Changed Up until a few years ago, the FBI defined rape to be, "the carnal knowledge of a female forcibly and against her will." It wasn't until 2013 that they updated it to include victims of either gender. Individual jurisdictions began altering their definition years before the FBI did, and the result was highly inaccurate reporting. For example, Chicago was among the first cities to advance to modern terminology. Instead of updating their methodology, the FBI simply didn't include Chicago's numbers in their 2010 statistics. In Charleston, sexual assault crimes are handled somewhat differently than they are in other parts of the country, though the laws don't hold a gender bias, as some have in the past. Unequal Terms Have Resulted in Disproportionate Reporting Not only have crimes against men been disqualified from prior reports, but when they have been recorded, they have received different treatment. For example, the CDC states that in most cases, men are assaulted by their romantic partner. Moreover, this partner is often female. Rather than relying solely on police reports, the agency has conducted several surveys on partner violence and victimization. The studies break down incidents of rape into numerous categories, and the recent numbers indicate that 19.3% of women have been raped at some point in their lifetime, and a mere 1.7% of men have. The catch is, their definition of rape does not include situations where a man is forced to penetrate someone else. When the results for incidents reported within the past 12 months are examined, 1.6% of women report being raped, but 1.7% of men also report being forced to penetrate someone. When the difference in reporting terminology is examined, men are raped more often than women. There Are Other Nuances in Reporting, Too Interestingly, another study uncovered that young men are at higher risk than women as well. A 15-year-old male is 1.5-times more likely to be a victim than a 40-year-old female. He's also 3.77-times more likely to be assaulted than a 50-year-old woman. The Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network (RAINN) stands by the oft-quoted statistic that 3% of men are victims of an attempted or completed rape. However, we also know that many men never come forward for many reasons, including concerns over social stigma.

Charleston Sexual Assault Attorney

Times are changing, and it's clear that American boys and men have been suffering in silence. As better reporting practices emerge, and society begins to accept this new data, it's quite likely we'll see a drastic shift in the number of crimes against men being reported. If you or your child has been hurt by a sexual predator, help is available. You may be entitled to a settlement which will provide medical treatment and assistance recovering from the emotional trauma you have endured. Moreover, your case can help stop the perpetrator from harming someone else. Please contact our office using our online form, or speak to one of our attorneys now by calling 1(800)610-2546.