NCJ Number
206960
Date Published
2003
Length
29 pages
Annotation
This booklet considers the prevalence and characteristics of sexual assault in rural America, including the issues that deter reporting and undermine effective sexual assault advocacy.
Abstract
Although research on sexual assault has considered the problem across diverse cultures and populations, research focused on the unique cultural and geographic characteristics of sexual assault in rural American communities has been lacking. The goal of the current research, which involved phone interviews with rural advocates from four States, is to further the services to rural victims by providing service providers with an understanding of the unique circumstances of sexual assault in rural communities. Given the wide variety of rural environments, generalizations concerning universal characteristics of rural sexual assault are difficult, yet useful. In general, victims of sexual assaults in rural areas have difficulty disclosing the crime, especially in cases where the victim knows the perpetrator. Informal social codes dictating privacy and family reputation reinforce the propensity not to report these crimes. The low population density and high levels of familiarity virtually assure that rural victims of sexual assault will have little anonymity, compounding the problem of severe under-reporting. Other barriers to reporting include the experience of greater physical isolation in rural areas and a general distrust of outside assistance. The analysis focused on data obtained from Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, Alaska, and Mississippi. The research conducted in Pennsylvania revealed significantly higher rates of sexual assault in rural areas of the State, while the data from Oklahoma indicated that reported rapes did not reflect the true prevalence of rape in rural areas. Rates of sexual assault in Alaska and Mississippi were higher in rural areas than in urban areas. The difficulties encountered by rural advocates are considered, including funding problems and issues with rural law enforcement. Insights and best practices of rural advocates are presented. Figures, bibliography