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STAR Offices
1057 W. Fireweed Lane
Suite 230
Anchorage, Alaska 99503
star@staralaska.org
Voice: (907) 276-7279
FAX: (907) 278-9983




   
 

SEXUAL ASSAULT

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Sexual Assault Belief Survey!

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It is never O.K. to force, pressure or trick anyone into having sexual contact --even if you think they were "leading you on," even if you have spent money on them, even if they are your spouse, even if they have had consensual sex with you before, or even if you think they "owe" you. That is sexual assault, and it is a crime. 

Sexual assault is any sexual contact without consent.

Consent must always be present throughout sexual activity, and it can be taken back at any time.

Consent is:

¡¤       Mutual

¡¤       Active and excited

¡¤       Between partners of equal power

¡¤       Between unimpaired partners

Silence and "giving in" are not consent.

Sexual Assault is:

Any sexual contact (with or without penetration) that is gained through:

o      force (pushing, pinning down, choking, etc.)

o      threats ("I'll kill you/your family," "I'll hurt you," a weapon is present.)

o      trickery (using drugs, alcohol, or deception to make someone sexually receptive or unable to resist)

o      manipulation (using pressure: "You can't stop now, I'm so excited," "You did it with your last boy/girlfriend," "If you loved me you would.")

o      coercion (using threats, bribes, and blackmail: "I'll tell your mom you were drinking if you don't," "You could lose your job if you don't,"  "I'll tell everyone we did anyway.")

 

This includes any sexual contact with a minor who is too young to consent--even if they say yes, even if they initiate it, even if they are in love.

NO ONE DESERVES TO BE
SEXUALLY ASSAULTED, NO MATTER WHAT!

Some statistics about sexual assault: 

  • Nationally, one in four girls and one in six boys will be sexually assaulted before they turn eighteen (Finkelhor, et al., 1990).
  • One out of four women enrolled in college will be sexually assaulted on a college campus (Hirsch, 1990, http://www.ncvc.org/ index.html; Fisher, et. al., 2000).
  • Alaska is the # 1 state in the country for Rape and has been for 23 out of the last 30 years (FBI’s Uniform Crime Report, http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/ucr.htm).
  • Alaska’s reported rate of rape per capita is 2.6 times the national average (FBI’s Uniform Crime Report, http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/ucr.htm).
  • Anchorage has the ninth highest sexual assault rate of any city in the United States, and Fairbanks is ranked first (FBI’s Uniform Crime Report, http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/ucr.htm).
  • Fairbanks’ rape rate is 4.7 times the national average (FBI’s Uniform Crime Report, http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/ucr.htm).
  • AK’s Child abuse rate is six times higher than the national average. (Department of Public Safety/ AK CDVSA Annual Report for FY 2006)
  • Sexual assault can happen to anyone: girl or boy; man or woman; straight, gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender. Perpetrators come from and assault people from all races and socioeconomic classes, religions, and cultures.
  •       Native American and Alaska Native women are 2-2.5 times more likely to be sexually assaulted than women of all other ethnicities in the US. (Amnesty International Report, 2007: www.amnestyusa.org; National survey of Violence Against Women 2006, http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/210346.pdf)

    Perpetrators prey on vulnerability:

    • People with disabilities are sexually assaulted at rates 2-10 times greater than the rest of the population (Sobsey & Doe, 1991)

    • 54% of female and 71% of male rape survivors report that their first rape occurred before their eighteenth birthday (National survey of Violence Against Women 2006, http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/210346.pdf)

    ONLY THE OFFENDER IS TO BLAME

    IT IS NEVER THE VICTIM'S FAULT

    In spite of this fact, many victims of sexual assault feel that they have done something to cause the assault in some way.  The offender may contribute to this by blaming the victim, minimizing the problem, or denying that it happened.  Feelings of shame or guilt are normal, but remember, it is never the victim’s fault.

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    STAR - Mission


    STAR'S MISSION STATEMENT
    The mission of Standing Together Against Rape, Inc., (STAR) is to provide the best quality of crisis intervention, education and advocacy services to victims of sexual assault and sexual abuse, and their families and our community.

     

    Rape victims can be male, female, young or old. If you have been raped and are hurting emotionally you do not need to be alone. We can help you thru a variety of services.

    Need to talk?  Please call us, we care!
     
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