Sexual Violence - Article Example

Sexual Violence The article published by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) "Sexual Violence, Stalking, and Intimate Partner Violence Widespread in the US" (December 14, 2011) tells about rape and sexual violence being a very serious problem that affects millions of people each year. Studies have underlined the fact that sexual assault can be physical, verbal, visual or anything to lead a person to engage unwanted sexual interactions. The article emphasizes the devastating impact of this sexual violence on the lives of millions of people in the United States.

On average, 24 people per minute are victims of rape, physical violence, or stalking by an intimate partner in the United States, according to findings released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP). Over the course of a year, that equals more than 12 million women and men. The survey report releases some shocking realities through its statistical records about sexual violence. The findings reveal that “more than 1 million women reported being raped in a year and over 6 million women and men were victims of stalking in a year” (CDC, December 14, 2011).

Victims of sexual assaults are often reported killed or debilitated. Consequently, one can simply consider this sexual violence act as major health problems that cause severe issues among the state and federal government.The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS) 2010 Summary makes obvious the high rates of sexual violence, stalking, and intimate partner violence were reported by women. Analyzing the report, one can see that this report highlights the heavy toll that sexual violence, stalking, and intimate partner violence places on adults in this country.

The report findings also underscore violence as a major public health burden and demonstrate how violence can have impacts that last a lifetime. For example, the results point out female victims of violence had a significantly higher prevalence of long-term health problems, including irritable bowel syndrome, diabetes, frequent headaches, chronic pain, and difficulty sleeping. Another noteworthy point is that nearly twice as many women who were victims of violence reported having asthma, compared to women who did not report violence victimization.

Sexual violence against female shows gradual increase in recent years in the United States. The findings bring up that “female victims of violence (sexual violence, stalking, intimate partner violence) were significantly more likely to report physical and mental health problems than female non–victims” (CDC, December 14, 2011). Observations made by Dr. Linda C. Degutis, director of CDC′s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, give remarkable evidence. The observations reveal that much victimizations start early in life, but the aftereffects last a lifetime.

The health problems caused by violence remind us of the importance of designing and effective organizing of preventive measures. Therefore, it is significant to mention that NISVS keeps serious role in the process of preventing sexual assault. As a part of its preventive measures, NISVS designs various programs aimed at averting sexual violence as well addressing detailed information needs of both state and national governments and nongovernmental organizations (NGO). As a result, NISVS often plays the role of an effective organizer in the field of preventing sexual abuse among the people and it can provide an initial benchmark for tracking the effectiveness of prevention efforts.

ReferencesCDC. (December 14, 2011). Sexual violence, stalking, and intimate partner violence widespread in the US. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2011/p1214_sexual_violence.html