Huron County's sexual assault statistics are 'alarming'

Sept. 26--With sexual assault again making headlines in national news as decades-old allegations threaten to derail the nomination of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, many are considering just how rampant sexual assault is -- both nationally and in our own backyards.

According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), in the U.S., 1 in 5 women have experienced completed or attempted rape, most of whom first experienced sexual violence before they turned 25.

The CDC defines sexual violence as any sexual activity where consent is not freely given, which includes attempted sex acts or instances where the victim is not able to give consent.

The issue is a troubling one for local health officials, who feel its incidence is underreported.

'Alarming statistic'

Huron County Health Commissioner Tim Hollinger said even one case of rape or assault in the community is "still one case too many."

"Rapes and sexual assaults are something that concern us," he said. "These types of events cause a lifelong battle for survivors.

"When we received the 2017 Community Health Assessment data and saw that 7 percent of adults had been forced into sexual activity when they did not want to (increasing to 13 percent of females and 20 percent of those with incomes less than $25,000), that was an alarming statistic to see."

According last year's Community Health Assessment, in 2017, about 7 percent of adults in Huron County, or more than 3,000 people, reported being forced into a sexual activity they did not want, up from 6 percent in 2014. That number spiked to 13 percent of all women in the county, and 1 in every 5 of those with incomes less than $25,000.

Of those forced into sexual activity, only 12 percent said they reported it.

The assessment also questioned the county youth, via the school systems, however two unnamed districts removed any questions about the students' sexual activity. That data showed that of those surveyed, 3 percent of the county's high school students were physically forced to have sex, which is less than the state's 8 percent, but still a matter of concern for the area.

Renee Leber works as a therapist for Fisher-Titus Behavioral Health. She said while these numbers may seem better than the state average, she suspects there are plenty more that haven't mustered the courage yet to speak about their experiences.

"I think many survivors of sexual abuse are coming forward seeking services as there has been a public movement on removing the stigma surrounding this topic," she said. "However, I don't think it accurately reflects the number of cases that have occurred."

While younger girls may be most at risk, Leber noted that sexual assault is non-discriminatory and everyone needs to be aware of the threat.

"There is a concern for every community regarding sexual assault; it does not affect only a certain race, gender, sexuality, age, or income," Leber said.

"I think it is important for everyone, especially the youth, to know that it is not their fault. If they are being forced or coerced into doing something that they do not want to do, then tell someone and keep telling until someone takes action and does something to stop it. "

Asking the right questions for change

Leber said there is something every community member can do to help -- and something they can stop doing.

"As a community, we need to stop questioning 'Why didn't the victim say anything sooner?' or 'Why didn't they try to stop it themselves?' We need to start asking questions about why the perpetrators feel the right to violate others," she said

Hollinger said the the county agency is looking for solutions, ways to help and to protect local, potential victims.

He said he recognizes it as the health department's "responsibility to consider all issues" affecting the community's health -- including sexual assault cases. The health commissioner added though that the department will most likely wait to take any action until a new set of data is released in order to track the trends.

"With the next Community Health Assessment, which will be completed in 2020, we are going to think about how we can delve deeper into these issues to get a complete picture of how they are affecting the community," he said.

"With this information, we will be able to see if there is additional programming available that could be put in place to help and support community members. Depending on the findings of the 2020 Community Health Assessment, programs to address sexual violence may be part of a larger Community Health Improvement Plan Initiative to be addressed by the Community Health Partners.

"At the health department, we have a small amount of discretionary funds that we can allocate to non-mandated or non-grant funded programs. We have to thoughtfully investigate each of the programs we invest in. This topic is one that we need to fully research to get an understanding of the impact it is having on our community, root causes of these issues, evidenced-based programming options available and the community's need for such programming."

___

(c)2018 the Norwalk Reflector (Norwalk, Ohio)

Visit the Norwalk Reflector (Norwalk, Ohio) at www.norwalkreflector.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.