Federal Government Releases Detailed Crime Report on Sexual Assaults

A new report from the Bureau of Justice Statistics shows that from 1995 to 2005 there was a sharp drop in the number of sexual assaults in the United States. But since 2005 the number of sexual assaults has remained relatively constant.

The data shows that in 1995 there five sexual assaults for every 1,000 women. But by 2005, the rate dropped to 1.8 per 1,000 women. The report states that in 2010, there were 270,000 rapes or sexual assaults of women in the U.S., or more than 735 per day. In nearly 4 out of every 5 sexual assaults in 2010, the victim knew the offender.

The data shows that about 80 percent of sexual assault victims now seek treatment at a clinic or hospital. During the 1994-to-1998 period, only 65 percent of the victims of sexual assault were treated by healthcare professionals.

One disturbing trend is the fact that in 2010, only 35 percent of all rapes and sexual assaults were reported to the police. This is the lowest level since 1995.

The full report, which contains a great deal of data on victims and offenders by factors such as age, race, income, and other characteristics, can be downloaded here.