For nearly 6.5% of American women, the first sexual relationship is under duress. Which amounts to rape.
The question of consent during sexual relations is increasingly questioned, especially with the #MeToo movement. In the United States, this is also the case. A new study, published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine, shows that for one in 16 American women, the first sexual intercourse is performed without their consent. A “trauma” that can have negative effects in the long term.
This study is based on a sample of more than 13,000 women aged 18 to 44, interviewed as part of a survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), carried out between 2011 and 2017. 6,5 % of them said they did not consent the first time they had sex. If we expand to the population of the United States, this corresponds to more than 3.3 million women in this age group.
Victims of pressure and violence
It should be noted that in the study, the researchers do not use the word “rape”, even if “we believe that these experiences correspond well to statistics on rapes”, they specify. The women participating in the study report having suffered one or more forms of coercion: 56.4% were subjected to verbal pressure, 46.3% were kept against their will, 25.1% were victims of violence , 22% were forced to drink or take drugs, 16% were under threat of a breakup.
If we compare with certain countries for which we have statistics, the United States is badly placed. For example in Ireland, 1% of women say they were raped the first time they had sex. Conversely, in Burkina Faso, 40% of them confided that their first sexual intercourse was under duress.
Health problems in their future
In the United States, some women run a greater risk of experiencing violence during first intercourse. According to the study, these are black, foreign-born, poor or poorly educated women. “These forced sexual initiations seem to be linked to several health problems”, the researchers also believe. Thus, they would be more likely to have an unwanted pregnancy than consenting women, to abort, to suffer from endometriosis, pelvic disease inflammation and ovulation problems during menstruation.
In addition, their general health is poorer, according to the study authors. These women use more drugs and have more mental problems. Following these results, the researchers argue for strengthening public policies to combat sexual violence.
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