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Rural Alaska steeped in sexual violence
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| Contributor | The Sunset Provision |
| Last Edited | The Sunset Provision Jan 30, 2008 02:20am |
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| Category | News |
| Media | Website - Yahoo News |
| News Date | Wednesday, January 30, 2008 08:00:00 AM UTC0:0 |
| Description | The state has long suffered the highest sexual assault rate in the nation, and the problem is worst in rural areas, according to a report released Tuesday.
The numbers are unacceptable, troopers said at a news conference Tuesday detailing the study.
"Each of us has a role in ending sexual violence in Alaska," said trooper Col. Audie Holloway. "We need to think into the future."
In nearly 1,000 cases studied over two years, the average age of victims was 16, while the average age of those accused was 29. In four out of five cases, the suspects were relatives, friends or acquaintances.
Overall, 89 percent of the victims were female. One out of three cases were reported more than a month after the abuse occurred, leaving evidence hard to collect.
The study, conducted by the University of Alaska Anchorage's Justice Center, looked at 989 sexual assault cases reported to state troopers in 2003 and 2004. Researchers did not look at cases reported in the same period to municipal police departments, including those in Anchorage or other urban centers that account for 80 percent of Alaska's 670,000 residents.
Overall, 46 percent of the cases were referred for prosecution. Of those 452 cases, about half resulted in convictions.
The study is believed to represent only a fraction of abuse actually committed in trooper jurisdiction. Still, Alaska has had the nation's highest per capita occurrence since 1995. According to statewide figures for 2003 and 2004 alone, there were 89 rapes per 100,000 people, almost three times the national average of 32 per 100,000, said Andre Rosay, the Justice Center's interim director.
"There are a lot of excellent programs here, so it could be reporting rates are higher here. We don't know, though," he said. "But even if there are higher reporting rates, our rates far surpass those in the lower 48."
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