One in Five American Women Have Been Raped

A quarter of all women in U.S. have been severely attacked by an intimate partner

A study performed by the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have released miserable statistics concerning the frequency of rape and attack among women in the United States. Further, the health agencies' study reports that victims of sexual violence are suffering long-term health problems. 

According to the survey, one in five women in the nation have been raped -- 80% of those were raped before the age of 25, and over half raped by a current or former partner. One in eight women said they were raped by a family member. 

The states with the highest percentage of women who've been raped are Oregon, Nevada and Alaska -- all states with large Native American populations. Alaska has the largest Native American population in the nation, has the highest rape rates of all the states, most of those on Native American women. 

Probably most depressing is that one in four women have reported being severely attacked by an intimate partner. The first-of-its-kind study says that there are long-term health problems suffered by victims of sexual violence including headaches and insomnia.

"This landmark report paints a clear picture of the devastating impact these violent acts have on the lives of millions of Americans," U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said in a statement.