Sexual Violence Prevention Program

The New Mexico Sexual Assault Helpline responders are available 24/7 for all New Mexicans.

Call or text 1-844-NMSAHLP (1-844-667-2457) if you have questions, need support, or are looking for local resources.

Chat now at Mew Mexico Sexual Assault Helpline Chat

Sexual Violence Prevention

Sexual violence is sexual activity when consent is not obtained or freely given. It impacts every community and affects both sexes and people of all sexual orientations and ages. Anyone can experience or perpetrate sexual violence.

The perpetrator of sexual violence is usually someone the survivor knows. This can include a friend, current or former intimate partner, coworker, neighbor, or family member. Sexual violence can occur in person, online, or through technology. This includes posting or sharing sexual pictures of someone without their consent, or non-consensual sexting.

Sexual violence can be prevented. Certain factors may increase or decrease the risk of perpetrating or experiencing sexual violence.

Preventing sexual violence requires understanding and addressing the factors that put people at risk for or protect them from violence. We must also understand how historical trauma and structural inequalities impact health.1

Changing social norms, teaching skills, empowering girls and women, and creating protective environments can help prevent and reduce sexual violence. We all have a role to play in prevention.

New Mexico Crime Victimization Report

Executive Summary

The purpose of the New Mexico Crime Victimization Survey was to understand the extent of criminal victimization, crime reporting, and assistance seeking for four types of crime (stalking, rape, sexual assault, and domestic violence) and to identify differences in rates between demographic groups. This survey was patterned after the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS). Data was collected from September 2023 through June 2024, and a total of 1,272 complete surveys were obtained. The following is a summary of key findings from the New Mexico Crime Victimization Survey.

Click here to view the full 2024 New Mexico Crime Victimization Report.

Stalking

One third (33%) of respondents reported experiencing at least one type of stalking within the last 12 months while they were in New Mexico.

Being followed was the most frequently reported type of stalking behavior, with 17% of stalked respondents reporting this type of stalking, followed by unwanted phone calls, at 15%.

Three quarters (75%) of stalked respondents reported having been stalked by a male, 17% reported having been stalked by a female, and 8% reported having been stalked by both a male and female.

Slightly more than half (52%) of respondents who were stalked reported a Hispanic/Latino stalker, followed by 43% who reported a White/Caucasian stalker. Thirty-eight percent (38%) of respondents who were stalked were stalked by a stranger, followed by 27% who were stalked by a former partner or spouse.

Twenty-eight percent (28%) of respondents who were stalked reported seeking some kind of professional help, including help from a victim service organization, as a result of the stalking.

Thirty-seven percent (37%) of respondents who were stalked indicated that the incident led to significant problems with their job or schoolwork or trouble with their boss, coworkers, or peers.

Rape

Five percent (5%) of respondents reported having been raped within the last 12 months while they were in New Mexico.

Eighty-five percent (85%) of respondents who were raped reported having been raped by a male, and 15% reported having been raped by a female.

Thirty-eight percent (38%) of respondents who were raped reported a Hispanic/Latino rapist, followed by 30% who reported a White/Caucasian rapist.

Thirty-four percent (34%) of respondents who were raped were raped by a casual acquaintance, followed by 30% who were raped by a former partner or spouse.

Twenty-eight percent (28%) of respondents who were raped indicated that, as a result of the rape, they had been injured to the extent that they required medical care, including self-treatment.

Slightly more than a quarter (25%) of respondents who were raped reported seeking some kind of professional help, including help from a victim service organization, as a result of the rape.

Sixty percent (60%) of respondents who were raped indicated that the incident led to significant problems with their job or schoolwork or trouble with their boss, coworkers, or peers.

Sexual Assault

Eleven percent (11%) of respondents indicated that they had been sexually assaulted within the last 12 months while they were in New Mexico.

Eighty-five percent (85%) of respondents who were sexually assaulted reported having been assaulted by a male, 13% reported having been assaulted by a female, and 2% reported having been assaulted by both a male and female.

Forty-five percent (45%) of respondents who were sexually assaulted reported a White/Caucasian perpetrator, followed by 44% who reported a Hispanic/Latino perpetrator.

Forty percent (40%) of respondents who were sexually assaulted were assaulted by a casual acquaintance, followed by 28% who were assaulted by a stranger.

Nineteen percent (19%) of respondents who were sexually assaulted indicated that, as a result of the assault, they had been injured to the extent that they required medical care, including self-treatment.

Thirty-one percent (31%) of respondents who were sexually assaulted reported seeking some kind of professional help, including help from a victim service organization, as a result of the assault.

Forty-nine percent (49%) of respondents who were sexually assaulted indicated that the incident led to significant problems with their job or schoolwork or trouble with their boss, coworkers, or peers.

Domestic Violence

Nineteen percent (19%) of respondents reported having experienced domestic violence within the last 12 months while they were in New Mexico.

Seventy-eight percent (78%) of those who experienced domestic violence reported that the person who abused them was male, 16% reported that the person was female, and 6% reported both a male and female abuser.

Fifty-two percent (52%) of respondents who experienced domestic violence reported a Hispanic/Latino abuser, followed by 45% who reported a White/Caucasian perpetrator.

Twenty-seven percent (27%) of respondents who experienced domestic violence indicated that, because of the abuse, they had been injured to the extent that they received medical care, including self-treatment.

Thirty percent (30%) of respondents who experienced domestic violence reported seeking some kind of professional help, including help from a victim service organization, because of the violence.

Fifty-one percent (51%) of respondents who experienced domestic violence indicated that the incident led to significant problems with their job or schoolwork or trouble with their boss, coworkers, or peers.

Lifetime Rape & Sexual Assualt

Fifty-four percent (54%) of respondents reported having been either raped or sexually assaulted within their lifetime.

Forty percent (40%) of respondents who reported having been raped or sexually assaulted within their lifetime indicated that the first incident of rape or sexual assault occurred when they were 12 years of age or younger.

Any Crime

Forty percent (40%) of respondents reported that they had been the victim of at least one of the four types of crime (listed above) within the last 12 months while they were in New Mexico.

Almost one third (32%) of respondents who experienced at least one type of crime sought some kind of professional help, including help from a victim service organization, because of the crime.

Forty-two percent (42%) of respondents who experienced at least one type of crime indicated the incident led to significant problems with their job or schoolwork or trouble with their boss, coworkers, or peers.