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Learn the facts about sexual assault and sex offenders to equip yourself, your family, and your community with the knowledge to prevent and respond to these crimes. This comprehensive program replaces common myths with research-based information.
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Educating the Community About Sexual Assault and About a Comprehensive Approach to the Management of Sex Offenders in the Community
Section 1 What Community Members Need to Know about Sexual Assault and Sex Offenders
Section 1: Learning Objectives • To begin to replace some of the common myths regarding sex offenders and their victims with facts based on research and professional experience. • To identify, verbalize, and reduce participants’ fears regarding the presence of sex offenders in the community.
Learning Objectives (continued) • To provide information on sexual assault prevention resources and victim services. • To assist participants to use the information presented here to better protect themselves, their families, and their communities from sexual assault.
Facts About Sex Offending Behavior 1. Most offenders are strangers to the victim. False. Most offenders know their victims. 2. Most offenders are the same race as their victim. True. Most sexual assaults are intra-racial.
Facts About Sex Offending Behavior (continued) 3. Most sexual assaults of children do not involve physical force. True. Few offenders use force to gain compliance from their victims. 4. Most child sexual abusers find victims in schoolyards or playgrounds. False. Most offenders assault children with whom they have a relationship.
Facts About Sex Offending Behavior (continued) 5. Only men commit sexual assault. False. A minority of sex offenders are female. 6.Child sexual abusers are not attracted to adults. False. Most offenders are attracted to people their age.
Facts About Sex Offending Behavior (continued) 7.Children rarely make up stories of abuse. True. Media focuses disproportionately on the few cases where children have recanted. 8.Victims of sexual assault are harmed only when offenders use force. False. The sense of betrayal and violation can leave long-lasting injuries.
Facts About Sex Offending Behavior (continued) • 9.If children don’t tell, they must have consented to the abuse. • False. • Children do not tell for many reasons. • 10.It is common for victims to wait before • telling someone about the abuse. • True. • Many victims tell some time after the abuse • occurred.
Facts About Sex Offending Behavior (continued) 11.A child sexual abuser is no threat to adults. False. Some prey on different types of victims. 12.It helps the victim to talk about it when they are ready. True. Supportive listening helps healing.
Facts About Sex Offending Behavior (continued) 13.Sexual gratification does not motivate rapists. True. Many offenders seek power and control over another person. 14.Offenders could stop on their own if they wanted to. False. Offenders generally need the help of others to control their behavior.
Facts About Sex Offending Behavior (continued) 15.Men rape because they can’t find a consenting partner. False. Many offenders are in relationships at the time of the assault. 16.Drugs and alcohol cause sexual offense. False. Alcohol and drug use is seen as a disinhibitor for offenders, however it is not a cause of sexual abuse.
Facts About Sex Offending Behavior (continued) 17.Victims share blame for provoking sexual assaults. False. Victims are never to blame. 18.If a victim does not fight back it was not truly forced. False. There are a variety of reasons victims may not fight back or say ‘no.’
The Studies • Rape In America, 1992 • National Violence Against Women Survey, 1998 • Child Maltreatment: Reports From The States On the National Child Abuse & Neglect Data System, 1997
Characteristics of Sexual Assault • Sexual assault is widespread. • Most victims of sexual assault know their assailants. • Few sexual assaults are reported.
Characteristics of Sexual Assault (continued) • The majority of reported sexual assaults do not end up in arrests or convictions. • The trauma caused by sexual assault is profound.
Tips for Parents • Tell your children that it’s always wrong for adults to engage children in sexual activity. • Keep open communications with your children. • Know the people your children spend time with. • Knowledge is power—teach your children about their bodies and their right control their private parts.
Tips for Parents (continued) • Know where your child is at all times. • Never leave a child unattended in a car. • Remind your children NEVER to hitchhike, approach a car to talk with someone in the car, or go anywhere without getting your permission first. • Get involved in your children’s activities—know the other adults.
Tips for Parents (continued) • Listen to your children—pay attention if they don’t want to be with someone. • Notice anyone who provides or gives special favors to your child. • Teach your children they can say NO to anything that makes them uncomfortable. • Be sensitive to any changes in your child’s behavior… become an active listener.
Tips for Parents (continued) • Screen baby sitters and care givers. • Practice safe behavior with your kids—take them to a mall and have them practice going to the rest room with a friend, staying close to trusted adults, etc. • Spend time with your kids! • Remember that 90% of the time, a child who is molested is molested by someone they know. Your safety efforts must focus on known perpetrators as well as “stranger danger.”
Tips for Teenagers • Educate yourselves about the dangers of sexual assault by friends or acquaintances. • Trust your instincts—if any situation makes you uncomfortable, get out of it! • You can always talk to your parents.
Tips to Keep Yourself Safe • Trust your instincts—if a situation makes you uncomfortable, get out of it, even at the risk of being rude. • Don’t talk yourself out of being alone with someone you know—or who’s a friend of a friend. Most sexual abusers are someone the victim knows! • Be wary of friends or dates who “test” your boundaries with unwanted physical advances.
What You Can Do to Respond to the Problem of Sexual Assault 1. Educate yourself about sexual assault. 2. Learn how to reduce the risk of sexual assault and help prevent it. 3. Learn how to help survivors heal. 4. Learn about safe methods of managing sex offenders in the community. 5. Learn what your community is doing.
