April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. It is a time to draw attention to the prevalence of sexual assault and educate individuals and communities about how to prevent it.

Please join the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office in raising awareness and supporting victims of sexual assault, harassment, and abuse.

Below are a few important statistics:

Every 69 seconds, an American is sexually assaulted.

One in five women in the United States experienced completed or attempted rape during their lifetime.

Nearly a quarter (24.8%) of men in the U.S. experienced some form of contact sexual violence in their lifetime.

Rape is the most under-reported crime; 63% of sexual assaults are not reported to police.

Only 12% of child sexual abuse is reported to the authorities.

It is estimated that 734,630 people were raped (including threatened, attempted, or completed rape) in the U.S. in 2018.

In eight out of 10 cases of rape, the victim knew the person who sexually assaulted them.

The prevalence of false reporting for sexual assault crimes is low — between two percent and 10 percent.

Community Resources:

The Crisis Center serves survivors of sexual violence in Jefferson, St. Clair, Blount, and Walker Counties 24/7/365. Services include the sexual assault hotline at 205.323.7273, sexual assault forensic medical exams, counseling, and advocacy. There is no cost for any of the services provided by the Crisis Center.

At the One Place Family Justice Center in Birmingham, victims and survivors of domestic violence or sexual assault make their own decisions about who to speak to and the free resources they choose to utilize. Their goal is to make it as simple as possible by locating resources together in one location.  Contact One Place at 205.453.7261.

 

"This project was supported by Grant No. 2019-AK-BX-0022 awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance. The Bureau of Justice Assistance is a component of the Department of Justice's Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice. the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the Office for Victims of Crime, and the SMART Office. Points of view or opinions in this document are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice."