The range of sexual victims is broad too, with boys and girls, adult women and men, and the elderly all victims of sexual assault. We know there continues to be controversy about the numbers because of the way data is collected and because so often sexual assault is not reported. One in 3 to 5 girls and one in 7 to 10 boys molested by the time they turn 19. 683,000 completed rapes estimated in the past year, according to Dr. Dean Kilpatrick in the National Women s Study from the early 1990 s. The impact of sexual assault on victims will vary with their experiences and their own histories and constitutions.
Some people experience sexual assault without dire consequences.
That said, we know that sexual abuse victims do suffer, as a group, with outrageously higher risks for all the social disorders. Let me review them for you very briefly. Many sexual abuse survivors suffer from damage to their minds and emotional lives. They face a fourfold risk of a major depressive episode in their lives. They face a five times greater risk of suicide.