Frequently Asked Questions

Select OVC publications and products are available to order. Contact our Response Center for assistance.

OVC Response Center
P.O. Box 6000
Rockville, MD  20849–6000
Phone: 800-851-3420 or 202-836-6998
(TTY 301-240-6310)
Email: [email protected]

A definition of forcible rape used by the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) program is available in the following Department of Justice Press Release. The FBI defines of rape as: "[t]he penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus with any body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person, without the consent of the victim."

Visit our Help for Victims microsite to learn about resources and services for victims of crime.

Another source of help is your local victim/witness assistance program. You may contact the VictimConnect helpline by phone or text at 855-484-2846 or online chat for a referral in your area.

Find out more in this brochure, What You Can Do If You Are a Victim of Crime, which includes a brief overview of OVC, your rights, and where you can get help.

The Bureau of Justice Statistics' National Crime Victimization Survey Victimization Analysis Tool provides victimization data by victim/offender relationship (stranger vs. non-stranger). Additional information is available on the Stranger and non-stranger crime section of the Bureau of Justice Statistics website.

The Bureau of Justice Statistics' National Crime Victimization Survey Victimization Analysis Tool provides data on the number of sexual assaults that occur annually in the United States. The annual Crime in the United States report, published by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, provides data on rape reported to the police.

For additional information about sexual assault, visit the Sexual Assault section of our website.

Statistics on sexual assaults in the military can be found in the U.S. Department of Defense Annual Reports on Sexual Assault in the Military and in the Annual Reports on Sexual Harassment and Violence at the Military Service Academies. Visit the Reports section of the U.S. Department of Defense Sexual Assault Prevention and Response website to access these data.

Information about drug-facilitated sexual assault can be found in Drug-Facilitated Rape: Looking for the Missing Pieces, an article in the National Institute of Justice Journal.

Additional information about drug-facilitated rape/sexual assaults is available in the National Institute of Justice-sponsored resource Drug-facilitated, Incapacitated, and Forcible Rape: A National Study.

GHB (gamma hydroxybutyrate) is a depressant drug that is sometimes used in to perpetrate crimes, such as sexual assaults and rapes. Information about its use in drug-facilitated rape/sexual assault can be found in the following National Institute of Justice (NIJ) produced resources—

• Drug-Facilitated Rape: Looking for the Missing Pieces,
• Drug-facilitated, Incapacitated, and Forcible Rape: A National Study, and
• Estimate of the Incidence of Drug-Facilitated Sexual Assault in the U.S.

Rohypnol (flunitrazepam) is a depressant drug that is sometimes used in to perpetrate crimes, such as sexual assaults and rapes. Information about its use in drug-facilitated rape/sexual assault can be found in the following National Institute of Justice publications—

• Drug-Facilitated Rape: Looking for the Missing Pieces,
• Drug-facilitated, Incapacitated, and Forcible Rape: A National Study, and
• Estimate of the Incidence of Drug-Facilitated Sexual Assault in the U.S.

The National Protocol for Sexual Assault Medical Forensic Examinations: Adults/Adolescents, Second Edition provides detailed guidelines for criminal justice and health care practitioners in responding to the immediate needs of sexual assault victims.

Additional information is available on the Sexual Assault Forensic Examiner Technical Assistance website. Please also visit the Office on Violence Against Women website for additional information.