SILENCE IN THE MARGINS

SILENCE I N T HE M ARGINS SEXUAL ASSAULT IN COMMUNITIES OF COLOR FACT SHEET
Compiled by Mark Houlemarde for the National Conference on Race and Ethnicity, June 2013
Social identities are intertwined in complex ways. Simplifying and/or ignoring this
complexity can result in damaging practices. Historical contexts, personal narratives, and
statistics, allow us to better understand the interlocking systems of oppression that affect
survivors of sexual assault* and the perpetrators who commit them. This handout aims to
inform discussions that often minimize the occurrence of sexual assault in communities of
color.
*While different language is used to classify sexual assault according to various scholars and legal definitions, sexual assault is defined broadly to describe
all forms of unwanted sexual activity (Bohmer and Parrot, 1993).
National Statistics
1 out of every 6 women have been the victim of an attempted or completed sexual assault. Collegeage women are more than 4 times likely to experience a sexual assault (2006, National Institute of
Justice).
Women of Color
For women of color there may be increased barriers to utilizing resources for survivors of sexual
assault. Language barriers may exist for some to take advantage of victim services. The immigrant
status of some women of color may prevent them from reporting their attack and seeking the legal
and social services afforded to them. Furthermore, women of color are burdened by the
disproportionately high unemployment among people of color that make battered women of color
less able to depend on the support of friends and relatives for temporary shelter. (Crenshaw, 1991).
African American/Black Women
• In self-reported measures, more than 30% of African American/Black college women
reported sexual assault (Carmody & Washington, 2001).
• For every African American/Black woman that reports her rape, at least 15 African
American/Black women do not report theirs. (Harrell, 2011)
• In the Antebellum South, Black women were subjected to forced breeding and rape. When
federal laws prohibited the importation of Africans, Black women were required to
reproduce children for the depleted slave work force. These acts were committed by slave
owners and enslaved men (Donovan and Williams, 2002).
Asian American & Pacific Islander Women
• The National Violence Against Women Survey (NVAWS, 2006) found that 6.8% of
Asian/Pacific Islander women reported rape in their lifetime.
• API women tend to report lower rates of rape and other forms of sexual violence than do
women and men from other minority backgrounds. This may be accounted for because
traditional Asian values may discourage them from disclosing such victimization, even in
confidential settings. (Tjaden & Thoennes, 1998; Bryant-­‐Davis, Chung, & Tillman, 2009)
• AAPIs have the lowest rate of utilization of mental health services among American ethnic
populations (Abe-Kim et al., 2007)
Latina Women
• Approximately 7.9% of Latinas will be raped by a spouse, boyfriend or ex-boyfriend during
their lifetime. (Tjaden & Thoennes, 2000)
• Stereotypes about Latina woman and promiscuity may reduce the amount of sympathy
elicited by Latina rape victims (Feagin & Feagin, 1996). Awareness of societal myths about
Latinas’ sexuality may result in an underreporting amongst Latina women due to fear they
will not be believed. (Chung, Bryant-Davis, Tillman, 2009)
• Research shows 14.6% of Latinas report sexual assault at some point during their lifetime as
compared to 18.4% of non-Hispanics (Tjaden & Thoennes, 1998).
Native American/Alaskan Indian Women
• U.S. Department of Justice estimates that 1 of 3 Native American/Alaskan Indian (NA/AI)
women will be raped or sexually assaulted in her lifetime, making the average annual rate of
rape and sexual assault among American Indians 3.5 times higher than for all other races.
(Tjaden & Thoennes, 1998; Rennison & Welchans, 2000)
• 90% of American Indian women in chemical dependency treatment are victims of rape and
childhood sexual abuse. (Henry, 1998)
• American Indian women with higher tribal identity are at increased risk of being sexually
assaulted while those who report living within or near tribal lands are at decreased risk of
being sexually assaulted (Yuan et al., 2006).
REFERENCES
Abe-Kim, J., Takeuchi, D., Hong, S., Zane, N., Sue, S., Spencer, M., et al. (2007). Use of mental healthrelated services among immigrant
and US-born Asian Americans: Results from the National Latino and Asian American study. American Journal of Public Health,
97, 91-98.
Bryant-Davis, T., Chung, H., & Tillman, S. (2009). From the Margins to the Center Ethnic Minority Women and the Mental Health Effects
of Sexual Assault. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 10(4), 330-357.
Bohmer, C., & Parrot, A. (1993). Sexual assault on campus: The problem and the solution. Free Press.
Carmody, D., & Washington, L. (2001). Rape myth acceptance among college women: The impact of race and prior victimization. Journal
of Interpersonal Violence, 16, 424-436.
Chung, Heewon, ThemaBryant-Davis, and Shaquita Tillman. “From the Margins to the Center: Ethnic Minority Women and the Mental
Health Effects of Sexual Assault.” Trauma, Violence, and Abuse 10.4 (2009) 330–357.
Donovan, R., & Williams, M. (2002). Living at the intersection: The effects of racism and sexism on Black rape survivors. Women &
Therapy, 25(3-4), 95-105
Feagin, J.R., & Feagin, C.B. ( 1996). Racial and ethnic relations. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Harrell, E. (2011). Black victims of violent crime. Diane Publishing.
Henry. Tribal Responses to Violence Against Women. 1998. Presentation to Federal Bar Association Conference, Indian Law Section.
Tjaden, P. G., & Thoennes, N. (2000). Extent, nature, and consequences of intimate partner violence: Findings from the National Violence Against Women
Survey (p. 181867). Washington, DC: National Institute of Justice.
Tjaden, P., & Thoennes, N. (1998). Prevalence, incidence, and consequences of violence against women: Findings from
the National Violence Against Women Survey. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice.
Rennison, C. M., & Welchans, S. (2000). Criminal victimization 1999: Changes 1998-99 with trends 1993-99.
Washington, DC: U. S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics.
Yuan, N. P., Koss, M. P., Polacca, M., & Goldman, D. (2006). Risk factors for physical assault and rape
among six Native American Tribes. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 21, 1566-1590.