Jonesboro, AR – (JonesboroRightNow.com) – April 25, 2024 – More than 100 people gathered today for a Sexual Assault Awareness event at St. Bernards Auditorium.

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

Beth Murff, a registered nurse at St. Bernards Medical Center who serves as its Patient Safety Officer, said the event was about connecting the community to fight sexual assault.

Arkansas is ranked second in the nation in sexual assaults per capita, Murff said. In 2022, there were 216 reported incidences of sexual violence in Craighead County. She said that with an estimated 63 percent not reported to police, the likely total number for the county exceeds 1,080.

“Every 68 seconds, an American is sexually assaulted in the United States,” Murff said.

  • According to worldpopulationreview.com, Arkansas’s Rape rate is 77.2 rapes per 100,000 inhabitants, making it the second highest in the country, trailing only Alaska.
  • Like other states, the number of rape cases reported at state universities has increased significantly. 2019’s rape rate was over four points higher than it was in 2018.
  • Arkansas has the highest rate of child sex abuse with 253 victims per 100,000 children. Alabama and Mississippi rank second and third, according to Safehome.org.
  • A total of 786,838 people were listed on state sex offender registries as of February 2023. This is about a 3 percent increase from 2022, Safehome found.

The Northeast Arkansas Family Crisis Center, which houses and runs the only Rape Crisis Center in this area and one of three in the state, sponsored Thursday’s event.

Savanah DiGaetano and Siera Vail are sexual assault advocates. They help victims of sexual violence by getting them information and temporary housing, if needed.

They also go to hospitals to stay with victims while they undergo collections for rape kits, which can take four to six hours. They said the Rape Crisis Center helped about 30 sexual assault victims in 2023.

The center also helps with counseling, a 24-hour onsite rape exam facility with certified medical support, legal advocacy.

The center’s crisis hotline number is (870) 933-9449 and is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Many groups had booths with information about their services at Thursday’s event.

According to one group’s website, “At the Northeast Arkansas Children’s Advocacy Center, we strive to advocate for children suffering from child abuse in any capacity. Our goal is to create a safe, non-invasive environment with caring professionals that can help unfold their story and stop the system of violence. Through a carefully thought-out process, we speak one-on-one with children monitored by on-site professionals to gain insights into suspected abuse. With a playroom and proven strategies, we ensure that children go under as little stress as possible during interviews and exams.”

Kenny Smith, law enforcement training director of the Arkansas Coilition Against Sexual Assault in Little Rock, was one of the speakers.

Smith said he helps instruct at police academies in the state and also goes to individual police departments to teach officers on how to help sexual assault victims. He began his career in 1997 and in 2007 attended an Arkansas police academy and worked as an officer for several years.

When he attended the academy, he said, two hours was spent handling sexual abuse cases. “Now officers get eight hours of training. A step,” Smith said, “in the right direction.”