Why Is It Okay to Be Silent?

I have PTSD, anxiety, depression, insomnia, and trichotillomania all stemming from the first time I was sexually assaulted. I have now been assaulted three times, all before I turned eighteen. I am constantly on alert. I am always worrying about if I'm being followed when I'm alone. I have trust issues because two of the three times I was assaulted I knew and trusted the people who did it.

I am tired of the ignorance and tolerance of silence towards rape/sexual assault/abuse. It makes everyone a statistic. Every man, woman, and child is at risk in some way, shape, or form. I am also tired of people believing that men are the only perpetrators and women are the only victims, because the truth of the matter is that those are not facts but myths.

Below are fifteen facts about sexual assault I found around the internet. I know that this will be a controversial article. Questions about whether the the facts are correct may arise. As a victim turned survivor, I have learned that you won't truly know that unless you personally collect and analyze the exact numbers yourself. That's too many big numbers for me. If you are looking for more information check the Joyful Heart Foundation founded by president Mariska Hargitay, who is also the actress that plays Detective/Sergeant/Lieutenant Olivia Benson on Law and Order: Special Victims Unit. You can find other facts and tools on how to stand up to sexual assault, domestic violence, and child abuse here.

Did you know that one-in-three women will be sexually assaulted or abused in their life times? I have been assaulted three times, so theoretically, if I were placed in a room with eight other women then I would statistically be the only victim, but realistically that is highly unlikely.

Did you know in Canada there are more than four-hundred thousand sexual assaults every year? That's probably a much smaller number compared to the United States, where an assault occurs every two minutes.

Did you know that sex crimes are not motivated by sex but by the need to control, humiliate, and harm the victims?

Did you know that men are half as likely to experience sexual assault or abuse than women? That's right: one-in-six men will be sexually assaulted or abused in their lifetimes.

Sexual assault is a gendered crime where eighty-one percent of the victims are women and ninety-nine percent of the perpetrators are men.

Seventy percent of rapists will never spend a day in jail.

Every eight minutes, Child Protective Services substantiates or finds evidence for a claim of sexual abuse.

Approximately eighty percent of female victims experienced their first rape or attempted rape before the age of twenty-five. Almost fifty percent before the age of eighteen. Thirty percent between the ages of eleven and seventeen. Twelve percent before the age of ten.

Sexual assault refers to any sexual, physical, verbal, or visual act that forces a person to engage in sexual contact against their will or without their affirmative consent.

Rape commonly refers to forced sexual intercourse, including vaginal, anal, or oral penetration through physical force, such as being restrained or drugged, or threats to escalate violence. Legal definitions of these terms vary by states and jurisdictions.