RAPE AND TEEN GIRLS
New research finds troubling statistics of how often sexual coercion and rape occurs in girls living in urban areas. Worryingly statistics show that many cases of sexual violence that occur are incidents of dating violence.
Previous studies suggest the frequency of rape or attempted rape may be as high as 42% in the overall female population in America. There is a sliver of good news according to new research, that there is not an increased risk of dating violence among adolescents. Still the overall numbers in the new study are disturbing.
Dr. Vaughn Rickert, the study researcher at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University states, “If you have a dating partner who is hurting you physically, that is a big risk factor that you want to take stock of and probably try to terminate the relationship.”
The latest research published in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine and done at 3 major centers, in New York, North Carolina, and Texas, looked at ethnically diverse females ages 14 to 23. The question studied how frequently dating violence, date rape or sexual coercion occurred in this population.
“We did an anonymous survey of adolescents and young adult women who were coming in for healthcare, and we asked them among other things if they had experienced an unwanted sexual experience, which could have been anything from an unwanted touch or a kiss, to being physically forced to have sexual intercourse,” Dr. Rickert states.
The study found that approximately thirty percent of young women reported having an unwanted sexual experience in the previous year. Specifically, 6% reported unwanted touching; 10% reported verbal sexual coercion; and 13% reported rape or attempted rape. African American women are most at risk; 35% reported a forced sexual experience.
The risk was for rape or attempted rape was increased if i) there was a history of past mild or moderate physical aggression by the dating partner; ii) if the girl went to the perpetrator’s house to be alone; and iii) if the victim had a history of past sexual assault as an adolescent.
The researchers say the findings suggest the need to educate young women on how to effectively manage verbal and psychological abuse and other coercive behaviors that might occur as dating violence.
“I think it goes to the point that dating violence, including sexual violence among adolescents and young adults is a silent epidemic, that is it is something that occurs widely because we are not really teaching our adolescent males as well as females, how to engage in relationships that are mutually beneficial, healthy and respectful,” says Dr. Rickert.
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