Rural Communities

In general, sexual assault is an underreported crime, with only 16% of sexual assaults being reported to the police. There are many reasons why victims of sexual assault do not report. These include: shame, guilt, fear, and many times a lack of support from friends and loved ones. Survivors of sexual assault who live in rural communities face added challenges when seeking services or reporting a sexual assault.

Barriers to reporting and receiving services for rural communities include the following:

• Lack of Anonymity: Confidentiality is important for victims/survivors of sexual assault, but because of the high levels of familiarity that exist in rural communities, it is very difficult for victims to have privacy and anonymity.
• Law enforcement likely to be part of the social network: The police may be friends or relatives of the perpetrator, and may be reluctant to follow through with a report in order to maintain friendly community relations.
• Greater physical isolation: rural populations are usually at far distances from social services, medical care, law enforcement; consequently, victims find that it is too difficult or almost impossible to report a crime or call for support. Additionally, cell phones may not work in some places, radio reception is difficult, and public telephones are rare.
• Perceptions of sexual assault: attitudes toward sexual assault can be more accepted in very isolated areas "because of less exposure to broader social norms" that challenge the attitudes of tolerance toward sexual assault. Many rural area advocates point out a problem with law enforcement officers who do not take sexual assault seriously.


Source: "Unspoken Crimes: Sexual Assault in Rural Communities." Lewis, H. Susan. 2003.