Sex Crimes Increasing At US Colleges

A recent federal report shows the number of sex offenses reported at American colleges and universities has gone up over the last decade. This is despite a decrease in overall campus crime.

The report said that 3,330 forcible sex offenses were reported on campuses in 2011. This is a 51 percent increase from the decade earlier.

University of Illinois Campus Police Sergeant Joan Fiesta, said sex crimes are severely underreported. She said it takes effort from all students to combat these offenses.

“For the men it’s hey, you know what, this exist. Are we going to be the guys who stand up against it or are we going to not stand up and let this problem persist? For women, the chance of being sexually assaulted in college are higher than in later in life, I think can create an awareness of, okay, what do I do for planning,” Fiesta said.

This joint report was released by the National Center for Education Statistics and the Bureau of Justice Statistics.

According to campus police, the U of I Urbana campus and surrounding areas had 11 forcible sex offenses reported in 2011 and 12 in 2012.