Nearly one-fifth of U.S. women have been the victim of a sexual assault at some time in their lives, says a survey by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported by the Washington Post. One in four has been the victim of severe physical violence by a boyfriend or husband, according to the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey.
The survey found that one in six has experienced a stalking that made her very fearful or believed that someone close to her would be harmed or killed. The survey showed that about one man in seven has experienced severe physical violence by an intimate partner at some point in his life, and one in 19 has experienced a stalking at some point. Oon average, 24 people are victims of rape, physical violence or stalking every minute. In a year, that translates to more than 12 million women and men. More than 1 million women reported being the victims of a rape or an attempted rape in the 12 months preceding the survey.