Rapes and sexual assaults against women DROPS 64 per cent in a decade, new study reveals

The Justice Department says the rate of sexual violence against women and girls age 12 or older plummeted 64 per cent in a decade and has remained stable for five years.

In 2010, women and girls nationwide experienced about 270,000 rapes or sexual assaults, compared with 556,000 in 1995, according to a Bureau of Justice Statistics survey released Thursday.

Rates declined from a peak of 5 per 1,000 women in 1995 to 1.8 per 1,000 women in 2005. The figure remained unchanged from 2005 to 2010.

Positive trend: A Justice Department study revealed that the rate of sexual violence against women and girls dropped 64 per cent in a decade and has remained stable for five years

Eleanor Smeal, president of the Feminist Majority, has been working for decades to curb violence against women, and she said in an interview that the new study is proof that the newly reauthorized Violence Against Women Act and awareness of the problem by police is having a positive impact.

Smeal said that now, more than ever, ‘everybody knows that rape and sexual assault are crimes and will be treated as such.’

‘We have a ways to go,’ she added. ‘It is clear there is still too much violence and too many are fearful to report it’

KEY JUSTICE DEPARTMENT STUDY FINDINGS ON SEX ASSAULTS: In 2010, women and girls in US experienced about 270,000 rapes or sexual assaults, compared with 556,000 in 1995

Rates declined from a peak of 5 per 1,000 women in 1995 to 1.8 per 1,000 women in 2005, and remained unchanged in 2010

In 1995, only 29 per cent of rapes and sexual assaults were reported to police. Reporting peaked at 56 per cent in 2003 and then declined to 35 per cent in 2010

Out of the 283,200 annual average rapes or sexual assaults from 2005 to 2010, only about 12 per cent resulted in an arrest

On Thursday, President Obama will sign legislation updating the Violence Against Women Act, which funds training for police and for judges, strengthening the criminal justice system's response to crimes against women.

The plateauing of rapes and sexual assault rates involving women is occurring while violent crime rates overall have been heading down.

‘The rate of rape has stopped declining, while the rate of other violent crimes has continued to decline,’ said Mary P. Koss, a professor of public health at the University of Arizona.

Overall, violent crime has fallen by 65 per cent since 1993, from 16.8million to 5.8million in 2011.

The drop has been attributed by experts to a variety of factors — from better policing to a reduction in the segment of the population that is most crime prone, ages 15 to 24.

Koss says some of the same factors explain the stabilizing trend in rapes and sexual assault.

Authorities regard the reporting of rape and sexual assaults to police as an important deterrent. But the reporting trend has been uneven.



Reporting occurred in 29 per cent of rapes and sexual assaults in 1995, went up to a high of 56 per cent in 2003 and then declined to 35 per cent in 2010.

Law of the land: President Obama will sign Thursday legislation updating the Violence Against Women Act

The statistics bureau was able to calculate the percentage of these crimes reported to police because its victimization studies are based on interviews with citizens about both reported and unreported crimes. That data can then be compared to police reports of crimes.

Out of the 283,200 annual average rapes or sexual assaults in the period from 2005 to 2010, only about 12 per cent resulted in an arrest. That was for both incidents reported to police and those that were not reported.

‘The 12 per cent figure should puncture the public's illusion that rape victims can achieve justice through reporting to law enforcement,’ said Koss.



Koss said many people think that this low percentage of arrests stems from false reports — alleging an incident that did not happen. It isn't a result of that, said Koss. She said the actual rate of false reports ranges from 2 per cent to 4 per cent.

Public support: Demonstrators rally in Washington, DC, in support of the Violence Against Women Act, or VAWA, which funds training for police and for judges, strengthening the criminal justice system's response to crimes against women

One commonly held notion about sexual violence proved to be accurate. In three out of four incidents of sexual violence, the offender was a family member, intimate partner, friend or acquaintance, the survey found.

The report focuses on sexual violence that includes completed, attempted and threatened rape or sexual assault. The study was compiled from the National Crime Victimization Survey, which collects information on nonfatal crimes from a nationally representative sample of people age 12 or older.



