The United States has one of the highest rates of sexual assault in the Western world. But for many victims, closure never comes. Cases are dismissed, suspects are acquitted and rapes remain unsolved.One out of eight female undergraduates will be sexually assaulted while at UW-Madison, according to Kelly Anderson, director of the Dane County Rape Crisis Center. Nationally, one in three women is sexually assaulted in her adult lifetime, Anderson added.Last year, 80 incidents of forcible rape were reported to Madison police, said Captain Jay Lengfeld of the Madison Police Department. In total, 239 sexual assaults were reported in 2005 and 212 in 2004.It's a really prevalent problem and it's compounded by the fact that only somewhere between 10 and 40 percent of victims ever report the assault,\ Anderson said.
Detective MaryAnne Morgan of the Madison Police Department said most sexual assaults are reported from a hospital and are often harrowing experience for victims.""The courage to report to law enforcement is amazing,"" Morgan said.
Anderson offered a range of emotions victims feel: denial, shame, guilt, violation and regret—all reasons why many victims never report assaults.""Our society has done such a good job of promoting the myth of the scary, drooling guy that jumps out of the bushes that anything that doesn't meet that standard, often people second guess themselves,"" Anderson said.Women who have suffered rape and want to take action also have to prepare for a difficult process. Victims undergo various exams and then team with detectives to piece together the evidence of their assaults. Often, sexual assault cases turn into dead ends.Madison attorney Alan Habermehl said most sexual assault cases never go to trial and are instead resolved with dismissals or plea bargains. Sentences range from probation to 60 years in jail. With parole, men convicted of sexual assault are often able to return to the streets. ""There's a huge variety in the crimes and the people committing them, and that means there's a big variety in the results,"" Habermehl said of criminal prosecution.According to Habermehl, there is often not enough evidence to prove to a jury beyond a reasonable doubt that a sexual assault occurred or that a suspect is guilty, leaving women who have come forward feeling that the system has failed them.Detective Morgan said sexual assaults are even harder for prosecutors to prove if drugs or alcohol are involved, meaning female students coming home from bars are particularly vulnerable. In addition, local courts essentially reject cases dealing with blackouts, where victims or witnesses are unable to remember a sexual assault.
""Because alcohol is such an issue in this town, many cases end up like that,"" Morgan said.The Rape Crisis Center works to eliminate rape, but it faces significant budget cuts and may be forced to curb some of its operations in coming months. For now, the Center works toward ""risk reduction,"" Anderson said.""We want women to know where the risks and focus on how we can all work together to change some of that,"" Anderson said.
—The Rape Crisis Center can be reached at 251-HOPE(4679 \
