It’s not very often that women are convicted for rape or other sexual crimes, but it actually happens more often than you think. That is because society builds this preconceived notion that women are supposed to be more nurturing and more caring for others’ feelings.

So you would be surprised to discover that many women are also perpetrators of sexual victimization. So why aren’t more people talking about it?

The Statistics Surrounding Sex Crimes and Men

In a 2014 study, it was shown that men were much more likely to be victims of sexual abuse than society originally thought. Throughout the lifetime of the men in the study, a large number of men were forced to penetrate another person; 79% of those men were forced to penetrate women. That’s why it’s important to consider having a team of dedicated sex crime lawyers to help you with your case.

Women Are Also Victims of Female Sex Offenders

According to the National Crime Victimization Survey, 35% of the male victims of rape or sexual assault reported that they had at least one female perpetrator. The study then took a look at sexual abuse that occurs in prison. Contrary to popular assumptions, the biggest threat to women behind bars is not from male staff; female victims are actually three times more likely to experience sexual abuse from other female inmates than by staff.

In looking at juvenile corrections facilities, female staff is a bigger threat to the juveniles than are male staff. Studies revealed that out of ten juveniles who reported sexual victimization, nine of them were abused by a woman.

How Stereotypes Harm The General Public

Because the common portrayal of women as harmless beings who are incapable of inflicting pain on another person is still strong to this day, many female perpetrators are essentially getting away with the offenses they’ve inflicted on other people, mostly because people find it difficult to believe the victims. However, women are complex beings who are capable of wielding power, often in very violent ways.

This belief leads to male victims not being taken seriously or not being believed at all. In turn, this reinforces the idea that men shouldn’t report the crimes that have been committed on their persons because no one will believe them.

Women Abused By Other Women

Women who are sexually abused by other women are also an overlooked group, and often, there are no services to accommodate these kinds of victims. This number gets even higher if a woman is a sexual minority; they are more likely to be sexually abused behind bars by other women than their straight counterparts.

It doesn’t help that the professionals working in criminal justice and mental health often downplay female perpetration when it comes to sex crimes, which doesn’t make the situation any better.

In order to properly dismantle sexual victimization, it’s important to come at the problem from all angles, including the examination of both victims and perpetrators, regardless of their sex.