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A national analysis of sexual violence by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found 17.3 percent of high school-age females in Indiana reported having forced sexual intercourse.
That is the second-highest percentage in the nation. The national average was 10.5 percent.
And the experts say the sad fact is the actual number might be even higher because up to half of sexual assaults never get reported.
The Indiana University researchers who analyzed the findings say the available data don’t explain why Indiana ranks so poorly. They say the state’s best approach, though, is to raise awareness of the issue.
The researchers recommend schools create more effective and age-appropriate programs and improve training of school staff. They also call for better ways to track, create and fund communitywide sex education programs.
None of these steps will come without cost, but surely our children are worth the expense.
The experts say the attackers in most cases are not strangers hiding in the bushes. Toby Strout, executive director of Middle Way House in Bloomington, said 80 percent or more of unwanted sexual activity involves people who know each other. Frequently, the victim and the attacker are actually dating or in a relationship.
Perhaps appropriately, the statistics were released during April: Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
The national Sexual Violence Resource Center in Pennsylvania says 1 in 5 women will be a victim of sexual assault by the time she finishes college. The best way to lower that number, the center says, is by raising awareness and by holding the perpetrators responsible for their actions.
The first step is to acknowledge the issue and talk about it.
“This year’s campaign encourages individuals and communities to bring healthy sexuality into the conversation on how we connect with and respect one another in order to prevent sexual violence,” the center says.
Sex isn’t an easy subject to talk about. Most of us just aren’t comfortable bringing it up.
But this statistic should be enough to spur all of us to action. According to this study, nearly 1 in 5 high school-age girls reported being raped.
That’s a number we simply can’t tolerate.
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