Nationwide, rape is known to be one of the most underreported crimes. Despite the fact that studies estimate one in six women and one in 21 men will be a victim of attempted or completed forcible rape in their lifetimes, only 16-40% of rapes are reported to law enforcement.
A big reason why rape goes unreported is that victims perceive that they won’t be believed, or they don’t want to go through the pain of a criminal trial. But even when rape is reported, it’s rarely prosecuted. According to RAINN, only 5.7% of rape incidents lead to an arrest, only 1.1% of incidents are referred to a prosecutor, and only 0.7% are convicted of a felony. Even fewer, 0.6% of incidents, lead to incarceration. This is despite false accusations accounting for only 2-8% of reported sexual assault, according to WVFRIS.
“In particular, child sexual abuse can go on for months or even years before they tell someone,” said Nikki Godfrey, Assistant State Coordinator for WVFRIS, “And the victim may be threatened or coerced to keep this secret.”