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Sexual assault numbers in Volusia-Flagler plummet with social distancing

News-Journal - 6/21/2020

In recent months, safer-at-home orders kept adults from meeting for late-night drinks and teens from gathering for high school dances. Gone were the social settings that sometimes lead to date rapes.

Could that be why fewer sexual assault victims reached out for help while coronavirus restrictions were in place? Some experts in Flagler and Volusia counties suspect that might be the case.

Victim service providers documented an astonishing decline in new clients during the past three months. The number of new sexual assault victims served at the Family Life Center – the only certified rape crisis center in Flagler County – dropped from 31 to seven over the same period last year. Meanwhile, the number of new victims served at the Volusia Rape Crisis Center fell from 54 to 33.

Like victim advocates, sexual assault examination nurses also saw fewer victims. In nearly the same three-month span, the number of forensic exams conducted at Halifax Health hospitals decreased from 13 to five.

Though AdventHealth did not provide The News-Journal with figures needed to draw a direct comparison between this year and last year, its data shows that fewer forensic exams were conducted deeper into the pandemic.

Fifteen exams were conducted at AdventHealth hospitals in March, compared with four in April and another four in May.

While it remains unclear what caused fewer victims to reach out for help amid the pandemic, experts agreed that restrictions on movement appeared to be the main reason. Some visitors, for instance, who flocked to the area for Bike Week and Spring Break headed home early this year, as public officials warned against large gatherings.

Experts are hopeful that the reduced demand for assistance points to a plunge in sexual assaults. But questions were still raised about how many victims have yet to come forward.

The decline in forensic exam numbers alarmed experts who noted that aside from collecting evidence that can be used during case investigation and prosecution, nurses also check victims for sexually transmitted infections and treat injuries that might have occurred during their assault.

But even before the pandemic struck, victims were often hesitant to get forensic exams, said Shawn Bishop, director of emergency services for AdventHealth Daytona Beach.

Bishop, who also oversees the Sexual Assault Nursing Examination program for AdventHealth, stressed that it can be difficult for victims to recount details of their assault to a nurse.

"When these crimes are committed, people are scared and embarrassed," he said. "A lot of times, they don't want people to know what's happened to them."

Trish Giaccone, chief executive officer of the Family Life Center, added that victims also falsely believe that if they go to the hospital, they must report their assault to law enforcement.

"It's important for us as a rape crisis center to let folks know that they can access the forensic exam without reporting to law enforcement," she said. "The hospital will hold on to their samples for a certain period of time, so survivors can make that decision."

While forensic exams unnerve victims, Giaccone said, the coronavirus pandemic has now heightened levels of anxiety. Victims must contemplate whether the exams are worth the risk of serious infection.

Giaccone added that the fear of encountering patients with coronavirus symptoms could deter victims from seeking help at hospitals.

Bishop, however, reassured victims that hospitals are taking precautions to protect all patients from potential exposure to the virus. Those with coronavirus symptoms are directed to one area, while those with other emergencies are sent to another.

Bishop added that hospitals streamline the testing process for sexual assault victims. Victims are first taken to a private room to be evaluated for any medical issues that might have occurred during their assault. Once that has been completed, a nurse performs the forensic exam.

Another concern for victims was whether they would have to go to the hospital alone. Limits have been placed on the number of visitors that can enter hospitals to help curb the spread of the coronavirus. Despite the strict rules, victim advocates have not been barred from attending forensic exams with victims, said Shinece Carr, director of the Volusia Rape Crisis Center.

In a time where victim advocates must provide services through phone or video calls, Carr stressed the importance of being present during emergencies.

"It's really hard when you have to go in there, and you're sharing your story with the nurse and you're trying to process what happened to you in that moment," Carr said. "When you have an advocate there to hold your hand and offer that support, it's really reassuring for victims."

Like victim advocates, prosecutors have been faced with the challenge of providing services from a remote location. This has made conversations with victims more difficult, as prosecutors must now discuss their assault from behind a computer screen.

Though prosecutors attempt to make those conversations comfortable for victims, the video meetings are not ideal.

"It's the best we can do right now," said Assistant State Attorney Melissa Clark. "But is it the best way to do it? Probably not."

Clark added that the coronavirus pandemic has also halted jury trials until at least July 2, which left victims with no option but to wait at least four months for their cases to be heard. But even that date might get pushed back if it's not yet safe for people to return to the courthouse.

"I would assume there's probably some frustration among victims because these cases take a long time even without pandemics," Clark said.

While the pandemic has slowed down the court system, Clark encouraged those who might want to press charges against their abuser to get a forensic exam. She stressed that the evidence collected during the exam can be very helpful in a sexual assault case.

"In most sexual assault cases, you do not have independent witnesses – it's very rare. It really becomes the victim's testimony versus the defendant's, so to have evidence to help corroborate what the victim says can be huge in a sexual assault case."

Much has changed amid the pandemic, however, victims still have access to the same resources as before.

Indeed, no one mingled at bars, high school dances or similar social settings during the past three months. But as more people reached for their phones and other devices to distract themselves in quarantine, experts worried that some might have connected with dangerous people online.

Victim advocates wondered whether additional guilt or shame would be placed on victims who went out while coronavirus restrictions were in place. They questioned whether that would that prevent them from seeking help.

With that in mind, Giaccone left those who were assaulted with a single reminder.

The fault was never theirs.

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