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Myth vs. Fact

Myth: Most rapes occur at night by strangers lurking in dark places.

Fact: As many as 80% of all assaults involve acquaintances. An assailant might be someone you know intimately. He may be a co-worker, a friend, or a family member. Many rapes occur during daylight hours in places familiar to victims.

Myth: A lot of women "cry rape" to get back at someone they are angry with.

Fact: Out of all reported sexual assault cases, false reports only make up about 2%.

Myth: When a person commits a rape, he or she is really just interested in sex.

Fact: Rape is about power and control, not about sex.

Myth: If someone was raped, they must have been asking for it.

Fact: Nobody ever asks or deserves to be raped.

Myth: A lot of times a rape could have been prevented if the person had only fought harder.

Fact: The only person who can prevent a rape is the person committing it. Sometimes, fighting can increase the chances of getting seriously hurt.

Myth: A person who has really been assaulted will be hysterical.

Fact: Survivors exhibit a spectrum of emotional responses to assault, including calm, hysteria, laugher, anger, apathy, or shock. Each suvivor copes with the trauma of the assault in a different way.

Myth: As long as children remember to stay away from strangers, they are in no danger of being assaulted.

Fact: Sadly, children are usually assaulted by acquaintances, a family member, or other caretaking adult. Children are usually coerced into sexual activity by their assailant and are manipulated into silence by the assailant's threats and/or promises, as well as by the child's own feelings of guilt.

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