The Complex Reasons Sexual Assaults Go Unreported

Victims often fear they won’t be believed, or will be blamed themselves, says a psychologist who has long studied the issue

The heated national debate about sexual misconduct has cast a spotlight on victims’ reluctance to report assault.

The issue has been at the center of some of the most high-profile cases in the #MeToo era. The National Sexual Violence Resource Center, a Harrisburg, Pa., nonprofit, reviewed studies by the U.S. Department of Justice and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as academic legal research, and found only 5% to 20% of sexual-assault victims report attacks to law enforcement.

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