Sexual Victimization of Unmarried Women by Nonrelative Acquaintances (From Violence in Dating Relationships, P 205-218, 1989, Maureen A Pirog-Good and Jan E Stets, eds. -- See 118347)

• NCJ Number: 118358
• Author(s): J Belknap
• Date Published: 1989
• Length: 14 pages
• Sale Source: Praeger Publishers
• Publication Type: Research (Theoretical)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study analyzes the sexual victimization of unmarried (including divorced, separated, widowed, and never-married) women 12 years old or older who have experienced attempted rape or rape by persons known to them.

Abstract

Data from the National Crime Survey (NCS) for 1973-82 were examined. The NCS categorizes the victim-offender relationships as "stranger," "known by sight only," "casual acquaintance," and "well-known." This analysis excludes stranger rapes and rapes by the victim's relatives. According to the data, victims are most at risk between the ages of 16 and 24. Victims who are 12 to 15 years old are more likely to experience rape by an acquaintance rather than a person well known to them. Twelve percent of the rapes involved weapons, and 59 percent of the victims did not report the incident to the police. Seventy-five percent of the rapes involved injuries, and two-fifths required medical attention. There were few differences in the characteristics of the rape offense that related to the degree to which the victim and offender were acquainted. Data support the emerging perception that date rape is a significant social problem. 3 tables, 2 notes, 15 references.