NISHS - Myths

Counselling Centre for Adults Affected by Abuse

Myths & Realities About Sexual Assault/Abuse

Myth: 'All rapists are male. All victims are female.' Reality: Clearly most rapists are male and most victims are female. However, 1 in 5 boys are abused by the age of 18, women sexually abuse boys, girls and women, and men abuse boys and men as well as girls and women. Anyone can be abused. Myth: 'Some women are more vulnerable to abuse than others.' Reality: Anyone can be raped. It happens across cultures, socio-economic classes, and ages. Belonging to any marginalized group in Canada (i.e., lesbians, differently-abled women, women of colour) increases the risk of abuse. Drugs and alcohol increases the risk of abuse. Women who are abused as children are significantly more vulnerable to abuse(s) during adult years. Myth: 'Most assaults are committed by strangers.' Reality: About 85% of sexual assault victims are attacked by someone they know. Myth: 'A woman cannot be sexually assaulted by her husband.' Reality: Since January of 1983, the Criminal Code of Canada has acknowledged that sexual assault in marriage occurs. Former spousal immunity was an indication of society's belief in the husband's sole right to his wife's sexuality.	Myth: 'The sex offender is usually a sex pervert or a sexually frustrated man.' Reality: Many rapists maintain a satisfactory sexual relationship with other women during the time they commit the offences. The rapist is not characterized by perversion so much as by their wish to dominate, control or humiliate the victim. Myth: 'Most sexual assaults are brutal; if a women is not badly injured, she could not have been sexually assaulted' Reality: This misconception serves to downplay the emotional and psychological effects of a sexual assault. Even if there is no evidence of a sexual assault, trauma can be caused by the threat of physical violence, by verbal abuse, and by fear. The amount of physical injury should not be used as a sole criterion for judging the trauma of the survivor. Myth: 'There are situations in which a victim provokes the assault.' Reality: Dressing provocatively, substance misuse, hitch-hiking, walking alone at night and misunderstanding intentions are among the many defences rapists have used in talking to the police to justify their actions. None of these actions constitute an invitation for rape nor are they legally viable. Anyone Can Be Abused