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. 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(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.