One of five women will be sexually assaulted in her lifetime. One in three will be sexually harassed in her workplace. We believe the data speaks for itself, and this is not okay.

Sexual harassment and sexual assault are much more common than you might think.

  • one in three women has or will be harassed in the workplace [1]

  • one in five women has or will be raped/sexually assaulted [2]

  • one in thirteen men has or will be raped/sexually assaulted [3]

  • one in four gender non-conforming has or will be raped/sexually assaulted [4]

  • Sexual assault costs $3.1 trillion per year, and sexual harassment costs $27 billion.

  • 90% of all sexual assaults are committed by serial predators, who assault an average of 5.8 times [5]

  • 91% of sexual assault victims are women [7]

  • In 80-90% of sexual assaults, the victim knew the perpetrator prior to the assault. [8]

Please visit our citations page - https://www.clearlysafe.co/citations - “Data & Statistics” - “first section” for full citation of sources.

What are sexual assault and sexual harassment?

Definition: Sexual Assault

The U.S. Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) defines sexual assault as “any nonconsensual sexual act proscribed by Federal, tribal, or State law, including when the victim lacks the capacity to consent” (U.S. DOJ, OVW 2018

Definition: Sexual Harassment

“The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunities Commission (EEOC) states that “unwelcome sexual advances, request for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical harassment of a sexual nature constitutes sexual harassment when this conduct explicitly or implicitly affects an individual’s employment, unreasonably interferes with an individual’s work performance, or creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive work environment” (U.S. EEOC 2018a). Such harassment may include unwelcome verbal, visual, nonverbal, or physical conduct that is of a sexual nature or based on someone’s sex. Case law has established that to meet the legal standards for action, workplace harassment must be “severe or pervasive” and affect working conditions (U.S. EEOC 2018b).”

False accusations are extremely rare. The lack of reporting allows perpetrators to continue.

  • 71% of sexual harassment is unreported. This means that an employee that is sexually harassing their coworkers may harass several before being caught - causing their company unseen harm.

  • According to 2016 EEOC report, 87 - 94% of targets for harassment to do not file a formal report.

  • 80% of sexual assault is unreported. To improve, we must be more supportive of victims coming forward [1].

  • Why? 20% of victims (with only 70% providing a reason) don’t report because of fear of reprisal and fear of the reaction of their community/workplace [2].

  • A man only has a 0.025 percent chance of being falsely accused (about 1 in 4000) – he’s more likely to be struck by lightning than to be falsely accused of rape [3]

  • Academic studies in both the US and the UK [4] report two to four percent of sexual assault accusations are false

  • 2.5% of rapists are convicted. Rape—more than murder, more than robbery or assault—is by far the easiest violent crime to get away with. A person is five times more likely to be falsely convicted of murder than rape. [5]

Please visit our citations page - https://www.clearlysafe.co/citations - “Data & Statistics” - “Reporting” for full citation of sources.

Why is preventing and healing from sexual assault and sexual harassment so important? Because of its detrimental effects on survivors and society as a whole.

Psychological Impact on Survivors

  • The trauma resulting from sexual violence is more severe and detrimental than than the trauma combat veterans experience [1].

  • 75% of sexual assault experience PTSD one month after assault[2]

  • 33% of women who are raped contemplate suicide[3]

  • 13% of women who are raped attempt suicide. [4]

  • Approximately 70% of rape or sexual assault victims experience moderate to severe distress, a larger percentage than for any other violent crime [5]

    Please visit our citations page - https://www.clearlysafe.co/citations- “Data & Statistics” - “psychological impact on survivors” for full citation of sources.

Socio-Economic Impact on the Community/Workplace

  • The total economic burden of reported rape on the US is 3.1 trillion. According to CDC study, each rape costs $122,466, and 25 million rapes are reported per year [1]. According to a study by the White House Council on Girls and Women, each rape costs between $87,000 and $240,776 [2].

  • The cost of sexual harassment to organizations includes: legal fees, employee turnover, increased absence, and reduced productivity [3].

  • One study of 27 food service teams found a $22,500 ($27,000 in 2018 dollars) reduction in productivity. This would be higher in other fields, including tech, law, finance, academia [4].

  • According to the Times Up Foundation, workplace harassment costs the target anywhere from $600 to over $1.3 million

  • A 2017 study by National Partnership for Women and Families shows women who are sexually harassed are 6.5 times more likely to leave the job.

  • High-profile cases such as Fox News scandal, NY Knicks and Madison Square Gardens, The Weinstein Group have resulted in payouts to the victims in the tens of millions of dollars, and public scandals have ensued. Other situations of sexual misconduct, such as Andy Rubin at Google, have resulted in payouts after asking the culprit to leave.

Please visit our citations page - https://www.clearlysafe.co/citations - “Data & Statistics” - “socioeconomic impact on the community/workplace” for full citation of sources.

Socio-Economic Impact on Survivors

  • 38% of survivors of sexual violence experience work or school problems, which can include significant problems with a boss, coworker, or peer. [1]

  • Student survivors are 2.5 times more likely to end their freshman year with a GPA lower than 2.5. This can have a detrimental effect on lifelong earnings and career opportunities. [2]

  • The human cost is that survivors of sexual assault and harassment are essentially erased - denied opportunities in education, career, community leadership. Law professor Katherine Franke says that “Sexual harassment is a tool of sexism.” [3] This is detrimental to society as a whole.

Please visit our citations page - https://www.clearlysafe.co/citations - “Data & Statistics” - “socioeconomic impact on survivors” for full citation of sources.

keep scolling…

How can we stop sexual assault and sexual harassment?