Rapes ‘underreported’ by fbi
Advocates push back on 2020 data released this week
A drop in rapes nationwide reflects underreporting at college campuses, some advocates argue as they push back on the latest FBI statistics.
The FBI 2020 violent crime report out this week drills down on major crimes, with killings soaring by 30% in some cities.
That’s not the case in Boston, as the Herald reported Tuesday, where gun arrests are up, not homicides.
But rapes and attempted rapes increased 6.8% yearover-year, the city reports.
The FBI data also shows many communities in Massachusetts — especially college towns — are reporting double-digit numbers of rapes.
Amherst (20), Cambridge (25), Fitchburg (19), Framingham (13), Lowell (18), Northampton (13), Salem (16), Somerville (14), Westfield (24) and Worcester (40) all reported more than a dozen rapes last year.
Large cities — from Springfield (70) to New Bedford (51); Lawrence (14) to Quincy (28) — also recorded rapes in the teens or higher. But college communities, advocates say, could see more shocking numbers as students return to in-person classes.
“College campuses are on fire with protests over sexual assaults,” said Kathy Redmond, a consultant to the New England Patriots and an advocate for victims of violence in education and sports.
“The FBI statistics are a good snapshot for reporting, but not a good snapshot for what’s going on at all,” the Colorado-based Redmond said. “Rape hasn’t gone down — rape reporting has gone down.” She said “front-loading of prevention” is needed along with Title IX reform so young women don’t need to fight the system and their attackers simultaneously.
Toni Troop, director of communications at Jane Doe Inc., called for a deeper analysis of the rape data to determine “who is and is not choosing to report to law enforcement and/or being seen by those systems.”
The FBI 2020 report states the “estimated volume of rape offenses decreased 12%” as aggravated assault offenses rose 12.1% and manslaughter 29.4%.
The FBI added each rape marks “one offense for each victim of a rape, attempted rape, or assault with intent to rape, regardless of the victim’s age.”
New criteria for rape, the FBI adds, is defined by “penetration, no matter how slight … without the consent of the victim. Attempts or assaults to commit rape are also included in the statistics presented; however, statutory rape and incest are excluded.”
Wendy Murphy, a lawyer and women’s rights advocate who also writes a contributing column for the Herald, said some of her clients are women who say they were raped at school.
“When you don’t have accountability or oversight, you don’t have truth,” Murphy said, also knocking how weak Title IX has become.
“We need to find out the truth and talk to kids on campus.”
In a startling figure, she added 40% to 50% of women who attended college say they were assaulted during their four years on campus.