In order to effectively respond to rape victims, service providers and criminal and juvenile justice officials need to understand the major concerns of rape victims. Without accurate information about victims’ concerns after rape, it is difficult to create and implement policies and programs to meet their most critical needs.

The National Women’s Study (NWS) identified several critical concerns of rape victims (Ibid.). In order to determine if rape victims’ concerns have changed over time, the study divided these concerns into those of all rape victims, and those of victims that had been raped within the past five years (1987-91). The following results highlight which concerns do and do not change:

• Her family knowing she was sexually assaulted. This concern has not changed dramatically. Seventy-one percent of all victims and 66 percent of victims within the past five years are concerned about their families finding out about the rape.
• People thinking it was her fault or that she was responsible. Rape victims are still very concerned about being blamed for the rape, with 69 percent of all victims and 66 percent of recent rape victims saying they are concerned about this.
• People outside her family knowing she was sexually assaulted. Again, there is no significant difference. Sixty-eight percent of all victims and 61 percent of rape victims within the past five years are concerned about this.
• Her name publicized by the new media. Women who have been raped within the last five years are more likely to be concerned about the possibility of their names being made public than all rape victims (60% vs. 50%).
• Becoming pregnant. Sixty-one percent of recent rape victims, as opposed to 34 percent of all rape victims, are concerned about getting pregnant.
• Contracting a sexually transmitted disease (not including HIV/AIDS). More than twice as many recent rape victims were concerned about the development of sexually transmitted diseases than all rape victims (43% vs. 19%).
• Getting HIV/AIDS. Recent rape victims were four times more likely to be concerned about getting HIV/AIDS as a result of the rape than all rape victims, regardless of the recency of the rape (40% vs. 10%).¹

The stigma still associated with rape is reflected in the high percentage of rape victims being concerned about people, such as family members and friends, finding out. Thus, from a victim service provider perspective, maintaining confidentiality and respecting the privacy needs of rape victims are important goals of service and assistant.

¹ Joint Center on Violence and Victim Studies, Institute on Victim Studies: Foundations in Victim Studies.