Indiana in the past year has taken steps to better understand the frequency and impact of sexual assault in its communities and throughout its population. While acknowledging this progress, it’s important that the state not lose momentum as it heads into 2015 and beyond.
The issue emerged in earnest when a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey ranked Indiana second in the nation in sexual assaults against young women. The survey revealed that one in six reported having been a victim of sexual assault in her lifetime and that 50 percent of assaults go unreported. It was a startling number that provoked immediate discussion and debate. Other researchers studied the matter and validated the process that produced the CDC findings.
To its credit, the General Assembly, with bipartisan leadership from state Rep. Christina Hale, a Democrat of Indianapolis, and state Sen. Jim Merritt, a Republican also of Indianapolis, passed legislation calling for a statewide study into the matter. The Indiana Criminal Justice Institute is currently working on the study and is expected to report its findings in early 2015.
Meanwhile, advocates such as Rep. Hale are crafting legislation to introduce into the next legislative session that better defines the word “consent,” a loaded legal term that has created difficulty for those who investigate and adjudicate sexual assault allegations.
Sexual assault and rape are complex issues. Devising strategies that deal with their frequency will require thoughtful research and consideration. While acknowledging it won’t be easy, a growing alliance of political leaders is demonstrating the will to tackle what they see is a significant social problem.
“It’s a problem that couldn’t be more urgent or important,” Rep. Hale told a meeting of the Indiana Commission for Higher Education last week.
Her concerns are well-founded. Her colleagues in state and local government would be wise to listen and join the effort.