Sexual violence is a pervasive issue and is much more common than many may imagine; it impacts people of all ages, backgrounds, and socioeconomic statuses. In fact, it is suggested that as many as 1 in 4 children may experience some type of sexual abuse before their 18th birthday (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network [RAINN], n.d.-a). Every 68 seconds, an adult American also experiences sexual assault. With sexual violence impacting so many individuals, any type of person can be a survivor, and any type of person can be a perpetrator.
In a Proclamation for Sexual Assault Awareness Month published on April 3, 2025, the White House suggested that undocumented immigrants were the cause of increases in sexual violence in the United States over the last 4 years (Trump, 2025). In order to engage in meaningful conversations on preventing and reducing sexual violence, it is crucial to utilize research from experts in the field on what actually contributes to increases in sexual violence in a society. Not only can this lead to less abuse, it can also dispel misconceptions that actually harm sexual violence survivors and wrongly vilify entire groups of people at the same time.
First, rape and sexual violence are rooted in power and control. Vulnerable populations that have less power, such as undocumented immigrants, are actually more likely to experience sexual violence as well as barriers to reporting (American Immigration Council, 2024). Additionally, undocumented immigrants are statistically less likely to engage in crime in general than U.S. born citizens (American Immigration Council, 2024).
So, what does contribute to increases in sexual violence? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, citing peer-reviewed research studies, suggests that societal risk factors for sexual violence perpetration include societal norms that support sexual violence including those that support male superiority and sexual entitlement, weak laws and policies related to sexual violence, high levels of crime and other forms of violence, and “negative attitudes or beliefs against groups of people due to their race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, sex, disability, social class, or country of origin” (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2024a). The more a society excuses or normalizes things such as locker room talk, consent violations, and gender role stereotypes such as masculinity being defined by sexual conquest or strength over others, the more a society may engage in victim blaming. This strengthens the confidence of perpetrators, who may view their use of sexual abuse and violence as tolerable or even justified under certain circumstances.
It is also important to note that sexual violence perpetration is not often done by a stranger. For adults in the United States, 8 out of every 10 rapes is perpetrated by someone known to the victim/survivor. This number increases to 93% when looking at the amount of perpetrators known to the victim/survivor of childhood sexual abuse (RAINN, n.d.-b). While caution with strangers is important, various forms of abuse are far more likely to be perpetrated by someone known to us, whether it is a family member, current or former intimate/romantic partner, or an acquaintance.
Therefore, some protective factors include teaching skills to reduce sexual violence in our communities, such as social-emotional learning, teaching healthy, safe dating and intimate relationship skills to adolescents, promoting healthy sexuality, and empowerment-based training (CDC, 2024b). Providing education on topics including consent can reduce the likelihood of consent violations. Expanding viewpoints to include healthy masculinity, rather than masculinity as power and control can decrease violence. Ultimately in order to combat sexual violence, it is important to pull together as a community to get to and address its real root causes. Sexual violence does not come from people arriving from a different country; it is embedded in our culture that we must examine with honesty.
References:
American Immigration Council. (2024 Oct.). Debunking the Myth of Immigrants and Crime. [Fact Sheet]. https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/sites/default/files/research/debunking_the_myth_of_immigrants_and_crime.pdf
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2024a, Feb. 15). Preventing Sexual Violence. https://www.cdc.gov/sexual-violence/prevention/index.html
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2024b, Jan. 23). Risk and Protective Factors. https://www.cdc.gov/sexual-violence/risk-factors/index.html
Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (n.d.-a). Statistics. https://rainn.org/statistics
Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (n.d.-b). Perpetrators of Sexual Violence: Statistics. https://rainn.org/statistics/perpetrators-sexual-violence
Trump, Donald J. (2025, April 3). National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month, 2025. The White House. https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/04/national-sexual-assault-awareness-and-prevention-month-2025/
Written by: Shayna Smith
