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SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Coalition Against Sexual Assault, victim advocates and rape crisis centers from throughout the state are asking Utah lawmakers to prioritize victim services and prevention of sexual violence.
The request came during the coalition's advocacy day at the Utah State Capitol on Tuesday where they outlined their legislative priorities. The meeting served as an opportunity for providers to meet and educate legislators on the issues and encourage community members to advocate for several bills.
"This affects every family in the state. There really is no family that is more than one degree away from someone who has been affected by some form of sexual assault," said Rep. Ken Ivory, R-West Jordan. "We can do better, and as we do lead in so many things, clearly we can lead in protecting children, protecting women and girls, protecting everyone from sexual violence and abuse."
Utah has had little success in lowering its rates of sexual violence, with rapes ranking higher than the national average for over 25 years.
Utah ranks ninth among states with the highest amount of rapes per capita, the only violent crime in the state to rank higher than the national average. One in 3 Utah women have been sexually assaulted and 1 in 6 women report being raped, according to a Utah Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice survey. Currently, Utah has a rate of 55.5 rapes per 100,000 people, compared to the national rate of 42.6 per 100,000 people, according to FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting database.
Despite the grim statistics, providers wholeheartedly believe prevention is possible.
"We are so excited in this momentum to end violence. We are all here in solidarity to tell survivors we believe you and we're advocating for your services and most importantly that we are increasing services in the state of Utah. We are asking you for prevention funding. We are looking at ways to really (address) sexual violence, so we believe that prevention is possible. We've said that, but we do believe it wholeheartedly, and our programs show us that every day as they invest in prevention and work with our communities," said Liliana Olvera-Arbon, Utah Coalition Against Sexual Assault executive director.
That prevention is centered in Provo Rep. Tyler Clancy's sexual assault and violence prevention appropriation request of $3.25 million. The request will allow Utah's rape crisis programs and responders to engage in sexual assault prevention in their communities "working with a range of community programs including schools, faith-based organizations, private businesses and civic organizations to support awareness of positive relationships," the request states.
The training and education efforts will include resources to educate children and prevent sexual violence.
Advocates emphasized that more funding is needed to help victims of sexual assault and for prevention, which have historically been underfunded.
"We all react in our own way the first time we heard, saw or experienced assault. We react in a type of grief when we lose part of our innocence. We react in a type of anger," said Adam Gaus, executive director at Friends Against Family Violence.
"We react through legislation focused on helping victims and survivors. And so these are not in themselves bad reactions, but pruning the leaves from a weed does very little to deter its growth. So this insurmountable problem demands a shift in thinking and a shift in culture. Our gut reactions that we have need a dose of pro action. We need prevention." Gaus said.
Other bills supported by providers and advocates include:
- HB114, Rape Crisis and Service Center Amendments, which would create standards of care for a rape crisis and service center as well as eligibility standards to expand access to grants, other funds or services. The amendments are meant to ensure free and quality services, effective responses, accountability and transparency of centers.
- HB327, Limitation of the Use of Polygraphs, which would prohibit law enforcement, prosecutors or government officials from requesting or compelling sexual assaults victims to undergo polygraph examinations or other lie detector tests.
"Polygraphs are widely unreliable and ... their accuracy is widely question, and also we go into creating more hurdles for people who are brave enough to come forward and decide to go through this process as these can be intimidating to victims' burden for reporting assault. And it sends a message of disbelief and it further hinders trust in the justice system," said Danica Baird, Utah Coalition Against Sexual Assault member.
