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How did 882 become the "official" number for this project?

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It seems next to impossible to know exact precise concrete numbers when it comes to sexual violence in this country. I read reports from the Department of Justice, Center for Disease Control, and more.

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While many of the numbers seemed to indicate the general range of somewhere around 882 (though various reports on the internet do swing outside of that range - both above it and below it)... I ultimately decided 882 seemed reasonably accurate (while absolutely not "reasonable," in that it is devastating and should not be this way).

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The ultimate statistic I went with was from RAINN (links below).

$$$$$$

Money, Money, Money

 

 

In addition to the physical and emotional impact, sexual violence has an incredible economic impact on this country - estimated in the billions. (Yes, that's billions with a B.)

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There are costs for medical care (both physical and emotional). There are costs for law enforcement. Sometimes there are costs involved in the victim moving, if need be. There are lost wages and lost time (not just for the victim but potentially their family and or/caretakers, and also for people who may need to replace them at their jobs for a short or long period of time. Some long-term or chronic health problems sometimes come out of sexual assault - which cost money to treat.

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A peer-reviewed report (Miller, Cohen, & Rossman)

estimated that each rape costs $85,000. One from The Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault estimated each rape costs one-hundred-and-ten-thousand dollars.

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One study (Rudmond & Davey) calculated an average cost of $8,387 for hospital treatment charges alone per rape (using data from 19 different states).

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You can read someone's personal story in the New York Times here.

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And you can look at all of the information above and read more in this World Health Organization Report.

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