From the UI Department of Public Safety –
On the morning of Dec. 21, the University of Iowa Police received a report from a student that either during the late night of Dec. 20, or the early morning of Dec. 21, the student was sexually assaulted at a residence hall. The student stated she met the suspect through a friend. This case is currently under investigation.
In response to this incident, the UI Police Department is providing the following information on acquaintance sexual assaults. This information is general and not related to this incident.
It is estimated that nationwide 20 percent of women and 6 percent of college men experience sexual assault or attempted sexual assault during their college years. Data reveal nearly 50 percent of transgender people experience sexual violence.
No matter the demographic, the most common type of sexual assault is not committed by a stranger but by someone known to the victim, typically a date or other acquaintance. There are risk factors associated with sexual assault, about which it may be useful to be aware, but being at risk in no way shifts responsibility for sexual assault to a victim/survivor.
The only person responsible for sexual assault is the perpetrator. Studies of sexual assault show a high correlation between acquaintance rape and drug/alcohol use. Alcohol and drugs are often used to make someone vulnerable to sexual assault.
