Sexual Assault and Minority Populations

Sexual assault affects both men and women of all ethnicities and cultural backgrounds. According the joyful Heart Foundation (2014) 1 in 5 women and 1 in 71 men will experience sexual assault in their lifetime in the United States. Among those individuals that will experience sexual assault, in 2010 22% of black women and 18% of white, non-Hispanic women will experience sexual assault in their lifetime (Centers for Disease Control [CDC], 2010). Also, 14% of Hispanic women and 24% of American Indian and Alaskan Native women will experience sexual assault in their lifetime (CDC, 2010). While the statistics among women of various ethnicities seem to be about the same, the sexual assault among men of different ethnicities varies greatly. 1.7% of non-Hispanic, white men will experience sexual assault in their lifetime where 26% of Hispanic men and 32% of multicultural, non-Hispanic men will experience sexual assault (CDC, 2010). The differences in the prevalence among men who experience sexual assault is astounding.
The major difference in sexual assault prevalence among men and different ethnicities can be attributed to a number of factors. Considering the recent increase in sexual assault education and policy enforcement among all U.S. colleges and universities, education could be a factor among the sexual assault statistics among men. In 2010, 44% of white males ages 18-24 attended college immediately after high school where only 32% of African American men and 26% attended college right after high school (US Department of Education, 2010). This difference in higher education among men of various ethnicities could attribute to decreased education and prevention efforts aimed at sexual assault among men who do not attend college after high school. these men may be missing educational opportunities that other men and women are receiving at colleges and universities.
Overall, sexual assault is an issue that will never be fully understood and documented due to a lack of reporting among those that are affected. With the information that is available to use, we can produce education and prevention efforts that are aimed at ethnicities that have produced higher sexual assault statistics.

References

Centers for Disease Control (2010). National intimate violence and sexual violence survey.

             Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/nisvs_report2010-a.pdf

Joyful heart Foundation (2014). Who does sexual assault affect? Retrieved                                                                from http://www.joyfulheartfoundation.org/learn/sexual-assault-and-rape/about-issue/who-does-                  sexual-assault-affect

U.S. Department of Education (2010). Status and trends in the education of racial and ethnic groups.

            Retrieved from http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2010/2010015.pdf