April 25, 2017 TALKING POINTS The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS) 2010-2012 State Report – Sexual Violence Data and Prevention Implications In 2010, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) launched the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS) as an ongoing survey of sexual violence, stalking, and intimate partner violence among adult women and men in the United States. NISVS survey questions do not provide an option to select other genders. NISVS data is collected using a random-digit-dial (RDD) telephone (landlines and cell phones) survey of English and Spanish-speaking people over the age of 18 who do not live in an institution (such as a nursing or personal care home, correctional facility, etc.). Participants (41,174 in the years 2010-2012) were interviewed using the NISVS questionnaire, which asks behaviorally specific questions related to sexual violence, stalking, and intimate partner violence. The newest NISVS report, released April 25, 2017, provides both national and state-level (including the 50 states and the District of Columbia) estimates for the years 2010-2012. The report also includes a single year of data from 2012 to provide a national snapshot of sexual violence, stalking, and intimate partner violence with the most recent data. State-level data are useful to learn more about the prevalence of violence, including circumstances, at a state level. States can use this information to effectively target their advocacy and prevention efforts. State-level NISVS data can also be used as an education and awareness tool within the community and institutions (government, education, social services, etc.). Below are some highlights from the 2010-2012 survey results. Detailed state-level data are available in the report. The CDC measures sexual violence by the following acts: rape, being made to penetrate someone else, sexual coercion, unwanted sexual contact, and non-contact unwanted sexual experiences. CDC also uses the term “contact sexual violence” to describe all the forms of sexual violence that involve physical contact (includes all forms except “non-contact unwanted sexual experiences”). Definitions of each of these can be found on page 17 of the report. Key highlights •In the U.S., 1 in 3 women and 1 in 6 men experienced some form of contact sexual violence in their lifetime. NISVS survey questions did not provide an option to select other genders. •Across all states, 23.4% to 42% of women were subjected to non-contact unwanted sexual experiences at some point in their life. •Almost half (49.5%) of multiracial women and over 45% of American Indian/Alaska Native women were subjected to some form of contact sexual violence at some point in their lifetime. •Across all states, lifetime prevalence of contact sexual violence was approximately 30% or higher for women, and ranged from 10.4% to 29.3% for men. •Among female victims of completed rape, 41.3% of were first victimized when they were 17 or younger, with state estimates ranging from 26% to 58.4%. •Of female rape victims, about 47% were raped by a current or former intimate partner, almost 45% were raped by an acquaintance and over 12% were raped by a family member. •State estimates of female rape victims who were raped by a current or former intimate partner range from 26.1% to 66.5%, and for female victims of rape by an acquaintance, state estimates ranged from 32.3% to 62.1%. •In the U.S., contact sexual violence by an intimate partner was experienced by 1 in 6 women. State estimates ranged from 12% to 22.5% for women. •Almost a third (31.9%) of multiracial men, 23.1% of American Indian/Alaskan native men, 19.4% of non-Hispanic Black men, 18.5 % of Hispanic men, and 9.4% of Asian/Pacific Islander men experienced some form of contact sexual violence in their lifetime. •About 1 in 17 men were made to penetrate someone at some point in their life. •Among male victims made to penetrate, 24.3% were made to do so when they were 17 or younger. •State estimates for men’s lifetime experiences of being made to penetrate ranged from 5.3% to 10.6%. •In the U.S., 1 in 14 men experienced contact sexual violence by an intimate partner, and state estimates ranged from 4.2% to 12.8% for men. Prevention Implications Given the prevalence of sexual violence, prevention remains a necessary focus. This NISVS report specifies that prevention approaches are most efficient when they cross multiple sectors and impact more than one form of violence. Additionally, prevention efforts should continue across developmental stages – for example, increasing safe, stable, nurturing relationships between parents and their children and teaching adolescents skills to prevent perpetration and increase social-emotional learning. The report specifies that there is no one-size-fits-all prevention approach, and prevention efforts must be culturally relevant and tailored to the community. Prevention efforts should also be evaluated within those groups. Key areas of focus for prevention approaches are: •Intervening to Lessen Harms and Prevent Future Risk •Promoting Social Norms that Protect against Violence •Teaching Skills to Prevent Violence •Providing Opportunities to Empower and Support Girls and Women •Creating Protective Environments •Supporting Victims/Survivors to Lessen Harms For more information about these prevention approaches, download the CDC resource, STOP SV: A Technical Package to Prevent Sexual Violence https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/sv-prevention-technical-package.pdf REFERENCES Smith, S. G., Chen, J., Basile, K. C., Gilbert, L. K., Merrick, M. T., Patel, N., … Jain, A. (2017). The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS): 2010-2012 state report. Retrieved from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control: https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/NISVS-StateReportBook.pdf ABOUT NSVRC The National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC) is the leading nonprofit in providing information and tools to prevent and respond to sexual violence. NSVRC translates research and trends into best practices that help individuals, communities and service providers achieve real and lasting change. The center also works with the media to promote informed reporting. Every April, NSVRC leads Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM), a campaign to educate and engage the public in addressing this widespread issue. NSVRC is also one of the three founding organizations of Raliance, a national, collaborative initiative dedicated to ending sexual violence in one generation. The organization was chartered in 2000 by the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape through a cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. © National Sexual Violence Resource Center 2017. All rights reserved. This document was supported by Cooperative Agreement #5UF2CE002359-04 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the CDC.