Every 63 seconds, a woman is sexually assaulted. Think about that… let it sink in…  out of the near 1 million victims of assault, only 5% of REPORTED assaults, have been proven false. 1 in 6 teens ranging from age 14-17 were victims of sexual assault in the past year.  That’s 16.3% of all teens. Sexual assaults have risen by 2.9% every year for the past 10 years. In the US alone- 40% of the women have been exposed to sexual violence other than rape.  These statistics are hard to read. But we aren’t done yet.

Here at Halftee, we say enough is enough. Where do you stand? Do you stand with those who sympathize but prefer not to talk about it? Do you stand in the dark, unaware of the horrors in our world? Do you stand aware, wishing you could do more but don’t know what to do?

“ One of the worst things our community can do, is turn a blind eye and ignore the facts. To avoid the topic because it’s uncomfortable. Victims can become survivors, but they only survive if they are believed, supported and give back their voices.” 
- Alli Fields, A survivor on our staff.

 Victims often don’t come forward. There are many reasons for this. Fear, denial, shame, guilt. Victims can fear retribution from their attacker, religious shame, feel they did something to deserve it or encourage it, or want to forget it ever happened and deny anything is wrong.  Statistics show that less than 20% of rapes are ever reported.  So all those numbers we listed in the first paragraph- are for 20% of all rapes…. Not for rapes we don’t know about. 79.6% of female victims will experience one or MORE completed rapes before she is 25 years old.

That’s right, I said COMPLETED… That number does not account for attempts or interrupted assaults. Did you know that men and boys can be victims too? Close to 20% of men in America have been victims are sexual violence. And this number DOESN’T include those who are assaulted while incarcerated. What’s worse… 1/4 of those victims were under the age of 10!  28% of male victims were victimized before 10 years old. Over 80% of sexual assaults are committed by an acquaintance.

Relatives, teachers, religious leaders, former spouses - unfortunately, the list of possible attackers is one of people who will most often have a very intimate relationship with the victim. Statistics on rape indicate that this connection normally results in most rape victims shying away from reporting such incidents due to obligatory or emotional pressures.

Why do we share this information with you? We want to give you the power to change these statistics! We partner with an amazing organization called UCASA. UCASA is the Utah Coalition Against Sexual Assault. This organization in a nutshell is a resource hub for victims, survivors, families of victims and survivors, as well as first responders, schools, church groups or anyone who wants or needs resources and information. We donate a percentage of all our proceeds every month to UCASA to provide them with funds that are not reserved with lots of red tape from government funding.

So shopping with Halftee already is a great way to give back to the cause! But what’s more- we started our first annual event for UCASA last year, and it’s nearly time for this year’s event. You can register for the event on our website or through this LINK. We need change makers, influencers, community advocates, religious leaders, school board members, teachers and more to step up! Come to our event on Tuesday April 19, 2022 from 6p-9p in Provo Utah. You will be educated, uplifted, well fed, and your soul will feel joy while you listen to the beautiful and amazing Rise Up Children’s Choir. You will be given tools to take back to your community and help stop sexual violence in it’s tracks.

We cannot do it alone, we need you and we need YOUR voice to give a voice to survivors. Come ready to learn, ready to take back what you learn and share it with as many people as you can. We are raising funds for UCASA so they can manage, run and fund a bilingual hotline for victims, survivors, and anyone who wants guidance on how to help someone who may be in need after an assault. You may be thinking- hey I don’t live in Utah…. You can still do so much! Make a girls trip and come to the event with some friends, look up your local chapter in your area (I bet you have one), pay attention to our social posts over the next couple weeks as we celebrate and believe survivors and bring awareness during Sexual Assault Awareness Month. We will have links to donate to UCASA, post ideas on how to stand with survivors and more.

Have conversations with your friends, your kids, your community groups…. Don’t shy away from topics because they are uncomfortable. Silence weakens the victim and strengthens the predator. I want to share more statistics with you…. It may be difficult to read, but I encourage you to get through them… one of them is bound to affect you or someone close to you… For those who are victims- you can be a survivor. Speak out and know you are not alone. Reach out to UCASA or another survivor who is willing to talk. (Alli Fields is inventing you to reach out to her if you need someone to talk to, or if you just have questions… even if you are not a victim or survivor. You can find her @afieldsmama or @the.phoenix.mama.)

Don’t forget to Register for our UCASA Event in April! We only have 200 seats available! Get yours now!

MORE Statistics:

Statistics show that 1 in 6 US women will be raped annually in the US.

Surveys and rape statistics by gender have found that 1 in 6 American women, and 1 in 33 American men has experienced an attempted/completed rape as a child or adult. This disturbing figure has been predicted to rise exponentially over the next three years.

Women and men with disabilities face twice the risk of sexual assault than able-bodied individuals.

Nearly 20,000 sexual assaults were reported in the military last year.

7.2% of all children surveyed in 2019 had been victims of sexual assault.

Approximately 70 women commit suicide every day in the US following an act of sexual violence.

Sexual violence incidents, preceded by stalking, increased by 1.9% in 2019.

During 2019, 13% of all women in California were victims of rape.

Over 1.5 million women are raped by an intimate partner

Approximately 16% of males in juvenile prisons have been sexually abused.

In Florida alone, a staggering total of 1,477,000 men have been victim to sexual assault.

Nearly 40% of adult males that experience sexual violence from an intimate partner are left with psychological scarring.

New York statistics show that 18% of all rapes in the city involved a male victim.

Almost 95% of child victims knew their sexual attacker.

The rate of false rape claims in the US is well below the 10% average mark.

Sexual assaults cost the US billions of dollars annually.

69% of rape victims in the US are women aged between 12 to 34 years old.

Transgender college students have a 5% higher rate of getting raped than other students.

The majority (90%) of rape victims are female.

An American is sexually assaulted every 63 seconds.

Girls and women between the ages of 16 and 19 are 4x more likely than girls and women in other age groups to be assaulted or raped.

One out of every six American females is a victim of attempted or completed sexual assault.

For every 1000 rapes in the US, 995 perpetrators will go unpunished.

Sources:

UCASA

Statistica

Rainn

Department of Justice

New York Times

MSN

Calcasa

LA Times

USA Today

The Insider

Women’s Center Youth and Family Services

The Nation

US Center for Disease Control