By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
Rape reports doubled in 2021 to a 10-year high in Ellis County.
Hays Police Chief Don Scheibler attributed the increase to an increase in women's willingness to report rape.
“Our rape numbers were up in 2021," Scheibler said, "I don’t think that is because more sexual assaults are happening but more people are willing to report those.
“More people are willing to say 'I’m uncomfortable with what happened last night' and make that report."
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However, advocates say many barriers to reporting sex crimes still exist and rapes largely remain unreported.
The Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network estimates for every 1,000 rapes, 384 are reported to the police, 57 result in an arrest, 11 are referred for prosecution, seven result in a felony conviction, and six result in incarceration. The network correlated data from multiple sources to compile this data on a national basis.
Jennifer Hecker, executive director of Options Domestic and Sexual Violence Services, said both societal views on sex crimes and their victims as well as issues within the justice system are barriers to reporting.
“At each point when trust is broken," Hecker said, "that erodes a victim's ability to [help themselves]. They desire help, but they don’t take that step. They give up. They feel hopeless.”
Scheibler and Hecker both said they believed the RAINN statics are likely reflected in Ellis County.
Data on rape reports and arrests are collected by the Kansas Bureau of investigation and can be searched by county.
In 2021, Ellis County had a 22 percent arrest rate. That's lower than the national average, which is about 30 percent.
Scheibler said the police department, whose jurisdiction the majority of the rape cases in Ellis County fall, can't count people who don't come forward. However, Options service numbers are telling.
Options provided 350 sexual assault services in Ellis County in 2020, the most recent date for which complete information is available.
Options tracks the number of services provided, but not individuals. Options estimates each sexual violence survivor will access about 10 services, which would mean about 35 survivors in Ellis County worked with Options in 2020. That compares to nine reports and three arrests in the same year.
Hecker noted a number of counties in northwest Kansas have individuals who are receiving sexual violence recovery services, but the counties are getting no reports and have reported no arrests.
In 2020, Sheridan County reported no incidents and no arrests, but Options provided 51 services in the county.
In the same year, Sherman County had no reported incidents and no arrests, but Options provided 82 services.
Options provided 121 services to individuals in Thomas County. Law enforcement recorded two reports and no arrests.
Hecker said sex crime survivors have many reasons they don't report the crimes against them. However, a lack of accountability for perpetrators and the complexity of the judicial system are factors, she said.
She said they ask themselves if reporting is worth the trauma of carrying the case through the judicial system.
“ 'I’m going to put my family through all of this, and I don’t know if anything is going to come of it. Do I even have it in me? This horrible thing already happened. Do I want to set myself up for another disappointment?' ” Hecker said of victims' questions to themselves.
Shame, blame and the rape culture
Hecker said another significant barrier to reporting is shame.
“The perpetrators are very, very good at making the victim feel like this is their fault, particularly in alcohol and drug-facilitated sexual assaults,” Hecker said.
“When people feel shame, they stop acting in their own self-defense."
Joyce Grover, executive director of the Kansas Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence, said greater societal forces discourage women from reporting.
“I think what deters is the broader, what we call ‘rape culture.’ The question a victim might first get is ‘What were you doing there?’ or ‘Why were you wearing that?’ " she said.
“That kind of stuff immediately sets the tone of victim blaming. That is still very prevalent,” she said.
Options developed an art exhibit in an attempt to break the myth that what a victim was wearing contributed to her attack. Survivors from across northwest Kansas provided descriptions of what they were wearing when they were sexually assaulted, and volunteers gathered donated clothing to recreate the outfits.
The #Metoo movement brought forth a flood of women who said they had been sexually assaulted or sexually harassed — but never said anything because they didn’t want to be blamed, Grover said.
“I think we see the tip of the iceberg on sexual assault and sexual crimes,” she said.
Scheibler said his officers are being trained in a trauma-informed approach to deal with sex crime victims and he hoped that will make reporting easier for victims.
“I am hard-pressed to think of a personal [event] that causes more trauma,” Scheibler said. "A lot of times that is a very traumatic event and to share that with someone is very difficult."
Eighty percent of sex crimes are perpetrated by individuals the victims know, which can make reporting all that more difficult, Scheibler said.
"They are acquaintances. They are someone they know. It is a person who lives in the same dorm or goes to the same school or they work at their place of employment," Scheibler said.
Scheibler said the system is being improved.
Early in his career, sexual assault victims had to tell the story of their assaults over and over, first to the initial officer, then to a detective, and then to a nurse. Now officials try to limit that to one telling.
Officers receive some training at the academy on dealing with sex crime victims, but stressing compassion and empathy, Scheibler said, is part of a culture of an organization.
Many victims delay reporting sexual crimes, and Scheibler said those delays can mean physical evidence can be lost. However, he said any sexual crime that is reported will be investigated. He encouraged victims to report.
“I think sometimes it’s easier for people to say I’ll keep this inside of me and not make the report and deal with that trauma that way instead," Scheibler said. ...
“It takes a lot of courage to go down there and report that these things have happened,” he said.
If you or someone you know has been a victim of sex crime, you can reach an advocate through Options through its text, chat or phone hotlines. Text the word "Hope" to 847411.
The 24-hour phone helpline is 800-794-4624. The chat and other information can be accessed on the Options website at https://help4abuse.org/ All of the helplines and chats are manned 24/7, 365 days a year. All services are free and confidential.
The agency also has a mobile unit that travels throughout its 18-county catchment area in northwest Kansas. Contact Options through one of the means above to learn more.
Cover photo courtesy of Pixabay.