Impact of Sexual Violence 


Fact Sheet

Sexual violence occurs whenever 
a person is forced, coerced, and/
or manipulated into any unwanted 
sexual activity, including when s/he is 
unable to consent due to age, illness, 
disability, or the influence of alcohol or 
other drugs. 

Sexual violence includes rape, incest, 
child sexual assault, ritual abuse, non-
stranger rape, statutory rape, marital 
or partner rape, sexual exploitation, 
sexual contact, sexual harassment, 
exposure, and voyeurism. It is a crime 
not typically motivated by sexual desire 
but by the desire to control, humiliate, 
and/or harm. 

Sexual violence can violate a person’s 
trust and feeling of safety. It can, and 
does, happen to people of all ages, 
races, genders, sexual orientations, 
religions, professions, incomes, and 
ethnicities. Sexual violence affects 
all of us: survivors, significant others, 
communities, and society. 

Impact on the survivor

Each survivor reacts to sexual violence 
in her/his own unique way. Personal 
style, culture, and context of the survivor’s 
life may affect these reactions. 
Some express their emotions while 
others prefer to keep their feelings 
inside. Some may tell others right away 
what happened, others will wait weeks, 
months, or even years before discussing 
the assault, if they ever choose to 
do so. It is important to respect each 
person’s choices and style of coping 
with this traumatic event.

Whether an assault was completed or 
attempted, and regardless of whether it 
happened recently or many years ago, 
it may impact daily funcitoning. A wide 
range of reactions can impact victims. 
Some common emotional, psychological 
and physical reactions follow. 

Emotional reactions

• Guilt, shame, self blame
• Embarrassment
• Fear, distrust
• Sadness
• Vulnerability
• Isolation
• Lack of control
• Anger
• Numbness
• Confusion
• Shock, disbelief
• Denial 

Psychological reactions

• Nightmares
• Flashbacks
• Depression
• Difficulty concentrating
• Post Traumatic Stress Disorder 
(PTSD)
• Anxiety
• Eating disorders
• Substance use or abuse
• Phobias
• Low self esteem 

Physical reactions

• Changes in eating or sleeping 
patterns
• Increased startle response
• Concerns about physical safety
• Physical injury
• Concerns about pregnancy or 
contracting an STI or HIV 

Some health outcomes 
can be fatal such as 
suicide, homicide, 
maternal mortality and 
AIDS related deaths.

Impact on significant others

Sexual violence can affect parents, friends, partners, 
children, spouses, and/or co-workers of the survivor. 
As they try to make sense of what happened, significant others may experience similar reactions and feelings to those of the survivor. Fear, guilt, self-blame, and anger are but a few reactions they may experience. 

In order to best support the survivor, it is important 
for those close to them to get support. Local social 
services providers offer free confidential services to 
women, men, and children who have been affected 
by sexual violence. This can include advocacy-based 
counseling in an individual, family or group setting; 
information and referral services; and 24-hour crisis 
intervention assistance. 

Impact on communities

Communities also feel the effects of sexual violence. 
Schools, workplaces, neighborhoods, campuses, and 
cultural or religious communities may feel fear, anger, 
or disbelief if a sexual assault happened in their 
community. As with any form of violence, sexual 
violence tears at the fabric of community well-being. 
Additionally, there are financial costs to communities. 
These costs include medical services, criminal 
justice expenses, crisis and mental health services 
fees, and the lost contributions of individuals affected 
by sexual violence. 

According to the U.S. Department of Justice (1996) 
the cost of crime to victims is an estimated $450 
billion per year. Rape is the most costly to its victims, 
totaling $127 billion annually. 

Impact on society 

Sexual violence endangers critical societal structures 
through climates of violence and fear. According to 
the 1995 U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board, sexual 
harassment alone cost the federal government an 
estimated $327 million in losses associated with job 
turnover, sick leave, and individual and group productivity 
among federal employees. 

Fifty percent of rape victims lost or were forced to 
quit their jobs in the year following their rapes due 
to the severity of their reactions (Ellis, Atkeson & 
Calhoun, 1981). Scholars at Johns Hopkins University 
School of Public Health indicated that development 
of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is likely 
in 50 to 95 percent of rape cases (1999). Lifetime 
income loss, due to sexual violence in adolescence, is 
estimated at $241,600 (MacMillan, 2000). 

The contributions and achievements that may never 
come as a result of sexual violence is a cost to 
society that can’t be measured. 

You can help

The healing process after sexual violence is often 
difficult and may take a long time, but with support, 
healing can occur. Visit http://www.nsvrc.org to find 
out more about how you can help support survivors, 
or to learn more about preventing sexual violence in 
your community. 

The NSVRC website also provides a listing of 
sexual assault programs and other resources. In an 
immediate crisis, callers can connect to the closest 
participating center by dialing RAINN’s national 
routing number: 1-800-656-4673.

References

Ellis, E.M., Atkeson, B.M., & Calhoun, K.S. (1981). An assessment 
of long-term reaction to rape, Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 
90:3, 263-266. 

Erdreich, B.L., Slavet, B.S., & Amador, A.C. (1995). Sexual harassment in the federal workplace: Trends, progress, continuing challenges. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board.

MacMillan, R. (2000). Adolescent victimization and income deficits in adulthood: Rethinking the costs of criminal violence from a life-course perspective. Criminology, 38, 553-577.

Miller, T.R., Cohen, M.A., & Wiersema, B. (1996). Victim costs and consequences: A new look. Washington, D.C.: National Institute of Justice

Population Information Program. (1999). Population reports: Ending violence against women. Baltimore, MD: The Johns Hopkins 
University School of Public Health.

This project was supported by Cooperative Agreement#1VF1CE001751-01 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

© 2010 National Sexual Violence Resource Center. All rights reserved. 

NSVRC • 123 North Enola Drive, Enola, PA 17025 • Toll free: 877-739-3895 • www.nsvrc.org • resources@nsvrc.org