With April being Sexual Assault Awareness Month, this is a good time to remind ourselves what statistics tells us and what resources are offered by FREA to help survivors.
Abuse Statistics
According to statistics summarized by the nonprofit organization *RAINN (short for Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network), in the United States alone,
Every 92 seconds, a U.S. resident is sexually assaulted;
Every 9 minutes, the person assaulted is a child;
Only 5 of every 1,000 perpetrators end up in prison;
55% of assaults occur at or near the victim's home, 15% happen in an open public place, 12% occur at or near a relative's home, 10% happen in an enclosed, but public area such as a parking lot, and 8% occur on school property;
Nearly 48% of survivors were sleeping or performing another activity at home.
Internationally, the story is even worse. According to the United Nation's Women's website, estimates are 35 percent or more "...of women worldwide have experienced either physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or sexual violence by a non-partner (not including sexual harassment) at some point in their lives".**
Positive News About Abuse Reduction in the U.S.
There is some positive news about sexual violence*: Thanks to the efforts of advocates and an increased focus on prevention, awareness, law enforcement attention, and other factors, the rate of sexual assault and rape has fallen 63% between 1993 to 2016. From a rate of 4.3 assaults per 1,000 people in 1993, the rate fell to 1.2 per 1,000 in 2016.
There remains much work ahead to continue the positive trend, but the reductions underscore the importance of increased awareness and proactive action. Fortunately, there are increased efforts internationally as well as in the U.S.
As instructive as these numbers may be, they're only part of the story. Emotional and health issues can affect survivors in countless ways even years after a single incident or a period of ongoing abuse. This is one of the major reasons FREA provides self-care tools and skills to empower people in recovery from abuse.
Learn and Apply Mind - Body Tools for Empowerment
If you are a survivor, a caregiver, or simply want to learn about and experience mind - body tools to help enhance resilience and promote healing, I encourage you to do two things:
First, explore and apply the rich array of videos and other instructional items you'll find linked from the top level menu tabs on this FREA.support website.
Second, visit the multiple blogposts from April 2018 dedicated to highlighting April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month. To connect with those resources, from any FREA.support page, go to the "Resources" top level menu tab and select the "Blog" option. Scroll down to the "Archive" section on the right side and select, "April 2018".
Once you arrive at the April 2018 listing, you'll see 25 posts, all focused on helping and supporting survivors. Scroll through the posts and select those that call to your heart and mind as worthy of reading.
You Are Not Alone
Please remember, you are not alone. If you have questions about any of the FREA resources or would like to connect with someone who understands the challenges of abuse, select the "Contact" tab on this site (https://www.FREA.support) and share your questions or message. Your communication is confidential and will never be shared.
Stephen Carter
Stress Solutions, LLC | www.EFT-MD.com | Email: SafeLivingToday@gmail.com
Stephen Carter is a former Chief of Police, Corporate Security Director and safely leader for one of the world's largest financial services companies. He is now the CEO of Stress Solutions, LLC, a company dedicated to helping people enhance physical and emotional wellbeing through stress mastery using mind-body methods. He is the host of the, "Safe Living Today" and "Mind Over Stress" podcasts.
Sources Mentioned in This Post
*RAINN - Scope of the Problem: https://www.rainn.org/statistics; https://www.rainn.org/statistics/victims-sexual-violence;
**United Nations - UNWomen Resource: Facts and figures: Ending violence against women: http://www.unwomen.org/en/what-we-do/ending-violence-against-women/facts-and-figures