While the number of sexual assaults that occur within the Carbondale and SIUC community has remained constant in recent years, local experts say counseling and educational efforts aid in increasing the number of cases reported to authorities.

Sexual assaults happen more often than people realize; it’s just that many of them are not reported, said Carolyn Prinz, program coordinator for the Rape Action Committee at the Women’s Center, 408 W. Freeman St.

Some assaults go unreported, she said, because victims feel at fault and are ashamed to report the crime.

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C. J. Runyon, human resources manager at the Women’s Center, said there were 274 reported sexual assaults from July 1996 to June 1997. Among the victims, 109 were Carbondale residents, and 29 live in Jackson County.

Runyon said there were 113 reported sexual assaults at the Center in July and August of this year. Forty-one of the victims were registered as living in Carbondale, and 18 of the victims were registered as living in Jackson County. Statistics were not available as to how many of the victims were SIUC students.

Prinz said acquaintance rape makes up about 75 percent of the reported sexual assaults in Carbondale. Last weekend, a late-night movie viewing between friends resulted in the alleged sexual assault of an 18-year-old SIUC student.

A woman is four times more likely to be raped by an acquaintance than by a stranger, according to statistics from the Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault.

This is nothing new, Prinz said. There has always been a problem a constant problem but there has been an increase in awareness of the problem and as a result more people are coming forward and seeking counseling.

Theresa Mills, office coordinator for SIU Police, said there were nine reported sexual assaults on campus in 1996, two of which were attempted sexual assaults. There have been four sexual assaults on campus reported this year. Mills said three of the nine sexual assaults in 1996 and three of the four sexual assaults in 1997 were alcohol-related.

The Women’s Center is warning students about Rohypnol, also known as the date-rape drug. Rohypnol is an odorless, colorless and tasteless drug that causes amnesia.

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Since 1996, the Center has dealt with several cases that may have involved the drug, Prinz said. But it is difficult to determine just how many cases involved the drug. A number of the cases suspected to be Rohypnol related could not be proven, Prinz said, because the victim waited too long to report the assault.

People can reduce the risk of being drugged and sexually assaulted by taking a number of precautions:Do not leave beverages unattended.

Do not take beverages, including alcohol, from someone you do not know well or trust.

At a bar or club, accept drinks only from the bartender or server.

At parties, do not accept open-container drinks from anyone.

Be alert to the behavior of friends and ask them to watch out for you. Anyone extremely intoxicated after consuming only a small amount of alcohol may be in danger.

In 1996, the Rape Action Committee at the Women’s Center assisted 274 sexual assault victims and provided 313 hours of medical advocacy and 606 hours of legal advocacy. Also in that year, public education and professional training were provided for 1,764 individuals on the topic of domestic violence and 1,945 on the issue of sexual assault.

Mills said many woman do not want to report the crimes because of the legality of filing a report but actively seek counseling to deal with the emotional distress of the assault.

The numbers (of reports) for the Women’s Center are higher than the ones for the campus police because more women are more comfortable going to the Women’s Center than going to the police, Mills said. The investigation for the rape is a very long and difficult process, especially collecting the physical evidence, [which includes a thorough physical examination].

Factoids:National Domestic Violence Hotline 1(800)787-3224

The Women’s Center 1(618)549-4807