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Action needed on sexual violence

The epidemic of violence against women and girls is something we can no longer afford to ignore or be silent about.

One in five women will be raped in their lifetimes, and one in four college students will become the victim of sexual assault this year alone, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Women Helping Women.

WHW saw a 20 percent increase in the number of sexual assault survivors served throughout Greater Cincinnati last year, and has seen a 60 percent increase in the past three years. And those numbers reflect only the incidents that were reported. More than 90 percent of rapes never get reported to authorities.

Rape rates in Hamilton County are higher than the state and national averages, and Butler County ranks fifth out of Ohio’s 88 counties for sexual violence incidences, according to WHW.

Those are attention-grabbing and deeply troubling figures that signal the need for more substantive conversation and action.

Sexual assault is undoubtedly a sensitive and uncomfortable subject to talk about.

The Cincinnati Enquirer

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