This week the Iowa Coalition Against Sexual Assault released a report “Rape in Iowa: A Report to the State” that reveals that one in eight Iowa women has been victimized by forcible rape during her lifetime. Although this number seems staggering, professionals in our community realize that the incidence of sexual assault is much greater than the report suggests. The Story County Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) responds, on average, to one case a week. These numbers fail to show how significant this problem is if, as the report indicates, only one in six cases is reported to Iowa’s law enforcement agencies.

In addition, the one-in-eight statistic is a conservative figure because the estimate does not include the assault of female child or adolescent victims or male victims of any age, nor does it include drug or alcohol-facilitated rapes, statutory rape, or attempted rape. In reality, Story County SART typically responds to these types of cases.

The report concludes that victims of rape are more likely to develop problems such as posttraumatic stress disorder, major depression, serious suicidal thoughts and substance abuse difficulties. These effects make the impact of rape profound and persistent, demonstrating the need for survivors to seek help and support from community professionals, friends, and family.

If you or someone you know has been the victim of sexual violence, please call ACCESS Sexual Assault Support Services at 292-5378 or 1-800-203-3488.

Julie Wooden

Assistant Director, ACCESS

Heather A. Priess,

Coordinator, Story County SART

Loras Jaeger

Ames Police Department

Jerry Stewart

ISU Department of Public Safety

Story County Victim Witness Assistance Program

Al Lavender

Ames Police Department

Sue Dekkers

Thielen Student Health Center/ISU

Julie Ann Wilkinson

Sexual Assault Services Coordinator, ACCESS

Megan Woodbeck

Mary Greeley Medical Center