MELISSA HALTERMAN/Arizona Summer Wildcat Jennifer Wilson Diez, Oasis Center mental health clinician, examines papers in her office. The Oasis Center is located on the second floor of Old Main.

When three unlinked sexual assaults were reported in early April, University of Arizona Police Commander Kevin Haywood said the crimes were the first reported of the semester.

However, according to Irene Anderson, director of the Oasis Center for Sexual Assault and Relationship Violence, close to 100 students, staff and faculty seek the center's help as victims of sexual assault every year.

Haywood agreed with Anderson that very few victims ever come forward to police.

"A lot of times, (sexual assaults) will go unreported," he said.

Of the victims who have reported incidents, a vast majority knew their attacker, said Jennifer Wilson Diez, a mental health clinician for the Oasis Center.

Diez said sexual assaults committed by strangers tend to draw greater media attention than those committed by acquaintances.

However, it is far more likely that women will be sexually assaulted by someone they know.

Southern Arizona Center Against Sexual Assault President and CEO Bridget Riceci said that a recent Justice Department survey showed that nearly 90 percent of all victims knew their assailant.

"In at least four-fifths of all rapes, the victim and the attacker know each other; in other words, most rapes are date or acquaintance rapes," Riceci said.

But many women simply do not report the assaults.

According to Riceci, one study of more than 4,000 college women found that 95-100 percent of sexual assaults were not reported to police.

15 out 16 rapists will never spend a night in jail

Violent sexual assaults, such as those that James Allen Selby was accused of capture a great deal of public attention, but do not happen often.

With media attention focused on assaults such as those that Selby is accused of, they do not demonstrate how many sexual assaults actually occur, Diez said.

The belief that sexual assault on campus is rare is

furthered when the community learns that only a few assaults are reported, such as the three reports made last semester.

However, Haywood said such a conclusion might not be accurate, as the UA is only concerned with crimes that occur on campus.

Victims, who may be UA students, come to the Oasis Center to report sexual assaults that occurred in other jurisdictions, he said.

"Everyone is going to have their own interpretation of what's going on, but regardless of how often it happens, it happens," Haywood said.

Sexual assault goes unreported for several reasons, due to the delicate nature of the situation, Diez said.

"(The victims) are often not even sure if what happened was sexual assault. They may be having some of the responses physically or emotionally, but they may not understand why," she said.

However, rape is a crime, as Arizona Revised Statutes defines sexual assault as, "intentionally or knowingly engaging in sexual intercourse or oral sexual contact without consent of such person."

According to the UA Oasis Center for Sexual Assault and Relationship Violence, sexual assault occurs when the victim is coerced either by threat, force, or the victim cannot give consent because of mental disorders, influence of drugs and/or alcohol or any impaired state.

"Barriers" to reporting Sexual Assault

When "Jane" was 15, her older boyfriend attempted to sexually assault her. Years later the UA senior, who wished to remain anonymous, has not reported the incident to police or counseling services.

Jane said that after the incident she "shelled up," and only told one of her closest friends about the encounter.

"Afterwards, when he was driving me home, all I kept saying was ÎI'm sorry, I'm sorry,' and basically felt guilty that he didn't get to basically rape me," Jane said.

Diez said victims typically face several barriers when they try to decide whether to talk about a sexual assault.

One of the most common reasons that women do not report sexual assault is confusion over the difference between filing a report with police and pressing charges.

Diez said that many victims believe that by filing a report, charges have to be brought against an individual.

Haywood said police only press charges if the victim wants to do so.

"Part of our job is to provide options," he said.

Another reason why many victims might not wish to file a report with police is that they might fear retaliation from their attacker, Diez said.

One in four women will be raped in their lifetime 95-100 percent of victims will never report their attack to police More than 90% of sexual assault victims knew their attacker Statistics compiled from the Southern Arizona Center Against Sexual Assault and the Oasis Center

Haywood said that while he cannot guarantee 100 percent safety for the victim, the investigation would hold the attacker accountable for his actions.

Victims seeking help with sexual assault can find confidential services at both the Oasis Center and the Center Against Sexual Assault, where employees are not required to inform police of a sexual assault at the request of the victim.

"We have certain client privileges of confidentiality," Diez said.

The confidentiality differs from other sources such as University Medical Center or Campus Health, who are required by law to report sexual assaults to police.

While fears of future attacks can be reasons for not reporting an incident, Diez said victims often blame themselves for what happened or don't want to upset social groups because the attacker is a close peer.

Even when a report is filed with police, there is no guarantee of prosecution, Haywood said.

Citing various reasons, including the degree of participation by the victim in the investigation, Haywood said that acquaintance rape is difficult to prosecute.

Statistics show the difficulty: 15 out of 16 rapists never spend a night in jail, according to the 2000 National Crime Victimization Survey.

According to Diez, many victims choose not to report the incident to police because they have broken the law during the incident.

Victims might have been drinking underage at the time, but that should not stop them from reporting the incident, Haywood said.

"We're not going to focus on (the secondary offense). Our goal is the well being of the person in finding out what their story is and going from there," he said.

Haywood added that people make bad decisions, and should not suffer for it.

Compounding matters is the fact that many victims feel guilt and shame for what occurred, Diez said.

The difficulties that come with investigating a sexual assault should not stop someone from seeking help, Diez said.

Both police and counselors agreed that the main concern when dealing with a sexual assault is victim's health.

"I think the most important thing is that we can collaborate with other offices to make sure that their health is looked after," Diez said.

If a victim comes forward, authorities can help that victim find medical attention and an advocate, if desired, Haywood said.

Concerns over sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancy should all be reasons for reporting a sexual assault, Diez said.

Sources like the Oasis Center and the Center Against Sexual Assault are the best option because they can, according to Diez, help schedule exams as well as provide mental health care.

The resources provided by both organizations help arm victims with valuable knowledge as well as allowing them the chance to begin healing, Diez said.

"They're given a lot of choices and control over what happens," she added.

Haywood said that in coming to police, the proper resources could be given to the victim.

"I recommend that they come to us to report and they just go from there, so that they know what their options are," he said.

Despite the many difficulties that can deter a victim from reporting a sexual assault, one victim said she would not make the same mistake twice.

"Now knowing how it is so easy for (assailants) to get away with it, I would go to the police, or whomever I knew that could go to the police for me," Jane said.

"It's never too late" to report a sexual assault

Victims of sexual assault experience a wide range of reactions to their attacks, and every person reacts differently to the situation, Diez said.

"A lot of people just want to forget about it. They would rather just pretend it didn't happen. It's a really common, normal response," she said.

Haywood said that responses to the trauma of sexual assault range from A to Z.

"Everyone has their own way of dealing with it," he said.

One thing is definite for the victims of rape though, help is a phone call or office visit away ÷ both Haywood and Diez strongly urged individuals to come in and get help.

"It's never too late," Diez said.

Whether it's the morning after or ten years later, Diez said that the sooner someone comes forward, the sooner a victim can put the experience in the past.

Diez promised that all reports are confidential.

"It's not up to us to report (sexual assault) to anybody," Diez said, adding that OASIS employees base all of their decisions about reporting an incident on the victim's wishes.

Despite concerns raised by going to police, Haywood said investigations are dependent upon the cooperation of the victims.

"We're not going to force them to deal with something the way we do it. Once they make that choice, hopefully it's an informed choice," he said. "We're concerned about the victim and their needs."

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