Bloomington, Indiana – The problem may be more serious than the statistics indicate as the number of reported rapes on the Indiana University campus in Bloomington is on the rise.
With two months left in the school year, 24 students have reported being raped to authorities, according to IU Police. That figure corresponds to the total number of recorded rapes for the entire year 2021.
“It takes a lot of courage for our students to come forward and make those reports to us. Every time that happens, we are fully supporting our students and whatever avenue they chose to take,” said Public Information Officer Hannah Skibba.
Yet, according to Sally Thomas, director of the campus Sexual Violence Prevention office, the majority of IU students who have been sexually attacked or raped do not report the incident to the authorities.
“There’s a very minimal number of people who decide to report to the police,” Thomas said. “The vast amount of students will come here and seek services and support but won’t report to the police.”
Thomas claims that her agency strives to dispel victims’ misconceptions about calling the police, but she points out that many are concerned about being held accountable or called into question.
But a prosecution is all but impossible without a victim who is prepared to report an assault and assist with an inquiry. That gives the criminal carte blanche to carry on.
“I would love for our victims to come forward and follow through with the criminal process on this but I know that’s not for everybody. I never push that on any student. It’s not my story to tell,” said Skibba.
This issue transcends IU alone. Since the federal government mandated that institutions provide annual reports on campus crime statistics, the total number of rapes at the nation’s colleges and universities has increased every year.
