Myths Vs Facts
Consent & Responsibility
❌ Myth 1: “If people wear provocative clothing or drink too much, they are asking for it.”
✅ Fact: Nobody asks to be sexually assaulted. The way someone dresses or the number of drinks they have does not imply consent.
❌ Myth 2: If they do not say “no,” then they want it.
✅ Fact: The absence of a “no” does not imply consent. Consent must be explicit.
❌ Myth 3: Victims provoke rape and sexual assault by the way they dress or act.
✅ Fact: It doesn’t matter how someone dresses or acts. The perpetrator is the one who chooses to commit harm and is responsible.
❌ Myth 4: People who are affected by alcohol or drugs are asking to be raped.
✅ Fact: No one “asks” to be raped. Being in a vulnerable position does not imply consent. People are not responsible for the harm others do to them.
Who Can Be Affected & Who Can Harm
❌ Myth 5: Sexual assault is only perpetrated by men on women.
✅ Fact: Sexual assault can occur by any gender, to any gender.
❌ Myth 6: An individual cannot be raped by a partner or spouse.
✅ Fact: 1 in 10 women has experienced rape by a partner or spouse.
❌ Myth 7: People with disabilities can’t be raped. No one would want to have sex with someone with a disability.
✅ Fact: People with disabilities are 3–7 times more likely to experience sexual violence. Perpetrators may consider them more vulnerable or easier to overpower.
❌ Myth 8: Transgender women shouldn’t be in women-only spaces because they might rape someone.
✅ Fact: Transgender women are much more likely to be victims of sexual assault than perpetrators. They do not make women-only spaces unsafe for cisgender women.
Trauma Responses & Reporting
❌ Myth 9: A “true” rape victim will physically fight back and be hysterical afterward.
✅ Fact: People respond to trauma in different ways. Some victims may “freeze” during an assault as a coping mechanism, and emotional reactions vary depending on the individual.
❌ Myth 10: If someone has truly been raped, they will report it to police right away.
✅ Fact: Delayed reporting is common among victims of sexual assault. People process trauma differently, and it may take longer for some to come forward. Many victims also fear being blamed or discredited.
❌ Myth 11: Lies and false reports of rape are common.
✅ Fact: Only 2–8% of rape reports are false.
Frequency & Prevention
❌ Myth 12: Rape does not occur frequently.
✅ Fact: 1 sexual assault occurs every 68 seconds.
❌ Myth 13: Teaching children to avoid strangers prevents them from being raped.
✅ Fact: About 60% of cases are perpetrated by someone known to the child, and about 30% are perpetrated by a family member.
❌ Myth 14: Sexual assault cannot be prevented.
✅ Fact: Sexual assault can be prevented in many ways, including (but not limited to) education, intervention, and bystander action.