Female college students are less likely to report incidents of sexual assault or rape, a new report by the U.S. Department of Justice reveals.
The study "Rape and Sexual Assault Victimization Among College-Age Females, 1995-2013," published on Dec. 11, discloses that an alarming 80 percent of campus rape incidents go unreported, whereas 67 percent of cases concerning non-students are reported to the police.
Findings were based on bi-annual interviews of 90,000 households and nearly 160,000 women, conducted between 1995 to 2013.
The disturbing report also highlights the fact that women between 18 and 24 years old, who were in college, faced the highest sexual assault rate ever documented.
Compared to 65,668 female non-students, 31,302 female students between 18 and 24 years old were either sexually assaulted or raped in the years 1995 to 2013.
The report also reveals that, compared to non-students, college students faced fewer incidents of assault or rape; however, college students were unlikely to report the assaults.
Nearly 32 percent of non-student females in the college age bracket were likely to report assault as opposed to the 20 percent of students who suffer the same violence.
The researchers discovered that nearly 26 percent and 23 percent of students and non-students, respectively, opted not to report the rape incident as they felt it was too personal. Moreover, one in five women in both categories felt fearful of reprisal.
Less than one in five or 16 percent of student victims received assistance, whereas 18 percent of non-student victims did.
Another alarming finding is that both student and non-student victims were familiar with the offender in 80 percent of the assault and rape incidents.
Nearly 51 percent of the sexual assault and rape cases involving student victims occurred when the victim was away from her home and during leisure activities. Almost 50 percent of non-student victims, on the other hand, were engaged in "other activities at home" when the attack happened.
In one out of 10 cases of sexual assault and rape involving both student and non-student victims, the attacker was armed with a weapon.
The complete report can be viewed here.
