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Renewal House in Canton continues support for victims of sexual abuse

Posted 5/22/18

To the Editor: Did you know that every 98 seconds a person in this country is sexually assaulted, and that individuals between 12-34 years of age are at the highest risk to become victims of rape and …

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Renewal House in Canton continues support for victims of sexual abuse

Posted

To the Editor:

Did you know that every 98 seconds a person in this country is sexually assaulted, and that individuals between 12-34 years of age are at the highest risk to become victims of rape and sexual assault? Female college students ages 18-24 are 3 times more likely than women in general to experience sexual violence. Male college students 18-24 are 5 times more likely than non-student males of the same age group to be victims.

Of every 1,000 people who commit a sexual assault, only 310 are reported, 11 are prosecuted, and only 6 of those 1,000 assaults result in incarceration. Three out of four rapes are committed by someone known to the victim. Anyone can be a perpetrator of sexual violence, and those who perpetrate are not any particular “type.” They are most often peers, friends, classmates, neighbors, coworkers, family members, teachers, coaches, and even our own children.

Perpetrators often commit several assaults before being caught. The White House Council Sexual Assault Report states that, “Campus perpetrators are often serial offenders.” Lack of a criminal record is not an indicator of innocence; it may just mean that they have not yet been caught.

The false reporting rate for sexual assault is no different than the rate of any other type of crime. False accusations (accusing a specific person) comprise only .4%, or one in 250, reports of rape. This may be difficult for people to believe because the few false reports that are received are often sensationalized in the media, making them appear more pervasive than they actually are.

The reality is that these crimes are often not reported due to the victim’s fear of being disbelieved. Articles sensationalizing false reports have the potential to deter victims from finding the strength to come forward and seek the justice that they deserve.

Sexual assault cases take time to investigate. They may involve a Forensic Rape Exam (FRE), during which a kit is used to collect forensic evidence and then sent away for processing. Processing FRE kits can often take a significant amount of time. If an arrest in a sexual assault case doesn’t happen immediately, it is not necessarily due to a lack of evidence.

Sexual assault survivors and their families often suffer long-term effects of sexual violence. Approximately 70% of rape or sexual assault victims experience moderate to severe distress, a larger percentage than for any other violent crime.

Renewal House is available to support sexual assault victims. Our services include crisis intervention, counseling, personal and legal advocacy, court accompaniment, and compassionate care from our sexual assault nurse examiners.

If you are interested in learning more, please go to the following websites: dosomething.org/facts/11-facts-about-sexual-assault, www.rain.org, www.slvrenewalhouse.org

Ilene J Burke, St. Lawrence Valley Renewal House, executive director

Canton