» Sexual Assault » Myths & Facts
Myth: Sexual assault is an expression of passion and lust.
Fact: Sexual assault is a crime that uses power and control to dominate, humiliate and punish.
Myth: Rape is an impulsive, uncontrollable act of sexual gratification.
Fact: Most rapes are planned and motivated by aggression, dominance, and hatred not sex.
Myth: Rapists are strangers who hide in dark alleys waiting to attack women late at night.
Fact: Most rapes are committed by someone the victim knows. Rape can occur at any hour of the day, and half of all rapes occur in the victim's residence.
Myth: Women are to blame for putting themselves into situations that lead to sexual assault, staying out late, drinking, using drugs, going out alone, talking to strangers.
Fact: Most victims of sexual assault are attacked in places they thought were safe by someone they thought they could trust.
Myth: Students on college campuses are less likely to be sexually victimized than people in the general population.
Fact: Women on college campuses are at a greater risk for rape and other forms of sexual assault than women in the general population or in a comparable age group.
Myth: Alcohol and drugs are not a factor in acquaintance rape.
Fact: Seventy-five percent of men and fifty-five percent of women involved in acquaintance rape had been drinking or taking drugs prior to the incident.
{Source: California Coalition Against Sexual Assault (CALCASA) Resource Guide, 2006}