Wow, that's incredibly startling to even think about. So many people don't report getting raped...That's not good. I thought it seemed like too much 1 out of 20 women will get raped in their lifetime but to hear that it's actually 1 out of 3 makes me really scared and sad. I'll definitely be investing in some pepper spray and being more aware of my surroundings.

1 out of 3? I thought 1 out of 20 sounded too much . And Every 2 minutes sounded too much as well

1 in 3 ? Where do those stats come from? So if you have 20 friends, there's a big chance 6 of them were raped, that sounds ridiculous

I was date raped when I was 17 years old by 2 guys and I didn't report it out of fear. It's been 8 years since it happened but not a day goes by that I wish i had turned them in.

http://www.rainn.org/statistics/ The first result I found in google already refutes the one in three figure. Plus, it's "sexual assault", which doesn't necessarily mean "rape"

* Every two and a half minutes, somewhere in America, someone is sexually assaulted.
* One in six American women are victims of sexual assault, and one in 33 men.
* In 2004-2005, there were an average annual 200,780 victims of rape, attempted rape or sexual assault.
* About 44% of rape victims are under age 18, and 80% are under age 30.
* Since 1993, rape/sexual assault has fallen by over 69%.

Rape is something I wish we could just erase from existence.

1 in 3? that is a lot and yet it doesn't seem right. And i can't believe so many people don't report it. I understand why they don't but it is a shame we can't get more of these animals behind bars!

I got 4/5 right.

I didn't know most women knew their attacker.

Rape is so horrible and disgusting.

Liss, it's really hard when you're raped and you know your attacker or they are friends with your friends. It's especially hard when all you want to do is forget about it.

Add to that, a very high percentage of rapes occur when the woman has been drinking so there's the added element of shame and "Oh god, did i consent or not? What the F*CK just happened?"

It happened to me a few years ago and i can barely remember what happened because i had been drinking and the guy was my friend's friend. I had never seen him before and i haven't seen him since. I felt responsible for it because i had been drinking and thought i wanted him. When the time came, that wasn't the case. Another problem is that I felt like I had given him the green light because I had flirted with him earlier that evening and it wasn't "violent" as rape is normally portrayed. So what was it...drunken non-consensual sex or rape? Frankly, I still question that distinction...

"Non-consexual sex" is rape.

Just because you are drinking and not able to give consent does not make it okay. It is still rape.

The Missus - You're right.

i wish there was even more harsh laws against sex offenders, and pedophiles, this is the worst crime in humanity

people need to respect each other, period

this is so sad..... I wish women were better protected....

5/5, I'm so lucky and thankful that I've never been raped. I'm only 19 though, I am scared to death that it can still happen to me. : x

In Texas if a man has sex with a girl who has been drinking, it is considered rape. I disagree with that, because it does not take into consideration that the male may have been drunk too, possibly more so, and that females can INITIATE sex when they are drunk, then turn around and cry rape. That makes it a very fine line to walk when you're at a party. That law needs to be rewritten, because now instead of feeling ashamed of themselves for sleeping around, the female can turn around and just say she was raped, even if it was completely consentual. I'm not trying to justify rape, by any means, but this type of law really dilutes the urgency and outrage that rape should cause.

Yea, yea, yea, bring on the firing squad.

BrandyNicole... WHAT!?!?!?

I am sorry... But the moment society starts taking rape instances where one (or both persons) are drunk lightly, then everything has gone to crap... And the rights of women are completely called into question.

While I agree that there is a HUGE difference between non-consexual sex and regretting sleeping with someone, it all comes down to the cicrumstances. And bottom line is that one person (usually the female) is under the influence of drugs and alcohol, they are in capcitated and not able to give consent.

The reason why this doesn't happen with men much is because men are rarely able to get erect without without being able to give consent.

Women, on the other hand, are still able to "participate" (passively) while drunk.

Again, bottom line: If you are so drunk that you can't say "no," and someone forces themselves on you, then it is rape.

That's not what I was talking about! I'm talking about the instances when a female has had a drink or two, and starts initiating sex with a guy. Not when the female is so obvs drunk that she can't hold her head up. (I know there are gray areas between the two extremes) I'm speaking specifically about the time when the woman initiates sleeping with someone the night before and then cries rape. How many females do you know that drunk dial until they find someone to have sex with that night? This is the instance I am talking about! When the female absolutely gives consent, but then the next morning, to prevent herself from regretting her actions, she just accuses the guy of rape.
I knew what I said would be misconstrued. I am not trying to defend rape in any way.

That's what I was referring to as well when I said that there was difference between "non-consexual sex" and "regretting sleeping with someone."

I think, rather than trying to change laws, we need to educate women more clearly. We need to educate women that if they do feel they were violated, they MUST act upon it RIGHT AWAY. Don't wait a few days. Because if it in fact was rape, there will be signs that it was forced. If it was consensual, the body is typically more "ready" to have sex.

We also need to educate women that when one person mis-reports a rape, it sets us back.

And we need to educate men that it is just not smart to engage in sex with women if they have had just a slightly "a few too many."

And I actually don't know any women who do the "drunk dial" thing. That is just a stupid thing to do, period. Leads to all kinds of bad things. People who do the "drunk-dial" thing are obviously bored and just looking for drama in their life. And drunken sex that you will may regret the next day is just not the way to find excitement in life.

I don't get men. Why attack and rape an innocent woman when there are so many prostitues out there who have you for hardly nothing.

Ok, we got that straightened out. I knew that if someone didn't read my post correctly, or if I didn't make it clear what I was talking about, it was going to be misconstrued to make me appear as a heartless, b*tch. (I'm not, concerning this anyways.) I feel better that we're more on the same page now.
I had a conversation regarding that topic, and that specific law, with a male friend of mine, because of the high numbers of one night stands that occur in our outer circle of friends (meaning, not us, but people we know). We were discussing how males had to be careful who they hook up with on a random night, because it could back fire, even if he was completely innocent in the situation, it wouldn't matter. He was telling me about a female he knew who did the very thing.

Rape, sexual assault, whatever you want to call it, is not about sex. It's violence against another human being in the most devastating way.

It's not about hooking up and regretting it. It's horrible, debilitating and unforgettable.

Interesting

BrandyNicole - considering the trauma involved in reporting a sexual assault or rape, and considering that most victims won't report anyway (because of the trauma or due to feelings of shame, etc), can you really claim that a woman who regrets a hook up that she initiated will go through the trouble of actually reporting an incident like this? I've had a drunken hook up or two that I've regretted, and the easiest thing for me to do was smack myself in the forehead and mope around for a bit. I've never woken up next to my drunk hook up and thought, "Oh, geez, what a mistake! Well, I guess I'll feel better and less ashamed if I call the cops and report a rape right now..."

If anything, women who have sexually assaulted or raped face the WORST backlack from the largely uninformed public. An acquantance of mine who was brave enough to report that she had been intoxicated and raped by a friend of hers was jeered at around her college campus so badly that she had to transfer. Her rapist was found guilty, the evidence in her body and surrounding the circumstances was public knowledge and absolute, but SHE was still the one who people called "slut" when she walked outside her home - and why!? Because people don't understand that it's NOT easy to report rape or sexual assault - it may very well be one of the most difficult things a victim would ever have to do, save facing her rapist in court. I highly doubt many women would want to construe a bad hookup as rape, even if just to friends and not reporting it, because there's little to be gained but a reputation, sadly.

OK THERES ENOUGH EXPOSURE ABOUT THIS sh*t EVERYWHERE WHY PUT IT HERE TOO. disappointed...

extremely disappointed

What kind of a man gets off on this? The scariest thing for me has always been the fact that most people know their attacker. I always wonder do I actually know someone this sick and heartless? And statistically speaking I probably do.

lovelylei -- dont be dissapointed dear. Im sure dearsugar only made this post so that women who arent as aware learn something. I appreciate this post alot. I had no idea that the statistics was 1/3. it baffles me and disgusts me but that the same time it makes me more aware of just how real rape is. just how common and how easy and fast it can happen. makes me want to be more cautious about my suroundings and the people i associate with.

ladies.... I pray every sugar on this site stays safe! be careful out in the world.

Mina, yes I do believe a female would do that. It has been done, and became extremely public. Duke Lacrosse Team anyone? And, I personally know a female that did that. Not a friend of mine, but I do know her. It may seem like something unfathomable, but unfortunately, it is not!

Well, BrandyNicole, I prefer not to take the .0000000000000000001 % and create a stereotype and negative view around that. Haven't we learned better than this? Or was that whole Civil Rights movement and subsequent progressive movements just a big waste of time?

I understand your point - I just think it's waaay too general to construe as something that women are likely to do.

I know this post is really old, but the Take a Quiz link took me here. BrandyNicole you have no idea what you are talking about. Not only is reporting incredibly awful and embarrassing, but then you have the worst physical exam you will ever endure. This includes a nurse taking photos of your lady parts, inside and out. Then a woman has to make the decision to press charges or not. If she chooses to press charges, she then has more uncomfortable interviews. Then you have to go to grand jury and then if they find enough evidence, then court. I didn't remember the exact statistics so I went to RAINN.

50.8% of reported rapes have a chance of arrest.
If an arrest is made, 80% have a chance of prosecution.
If there is a prosecution, there is a 58% of conviction.
If there is a felony conviction, there is a 69% of the rapist will spend any time in jail.

So lets say a woman lies about having consentual sex, I sincerly doubt that it will ever lead to a conviction or jail time. Let's focus our energy on getting more women to report and getting the attacker behind bars.

Oh and most attackers dont attack because of a sexual need, but out of anger/control issues.