Data reported by county officials in January regarding the state of sexual assault in Houston and Harris County found that in 2022, while more than 6,400 calls for help were answered through the Houston Area Women's Center's sexual assault line, less than 10% of all sexual assaults are actually reported to law enforcement.

For the cases that were reported from January 2022 until August 2023, less than 13% of sexual assault charges filed actually resulted in a conviction.

Quote of note

For Marlecia Bellamy, a sexual assault survivor who spoke at the Jan. 10 news conference held at HAWC, she shared her experience feeling belittled and vulnerable while navigating the criminal justice system after her 2021 incident. Bellamy said the system isn't working for survivors who are in desperate need for victim-centered care.

"I’m speaking from personal experience when I say walking the justice system in its current state is like walking nude and exposed down a long hallway paved in thorn bushes. Victims are frequently told to move on with your life and to stand still emotionally at the same time while waiting years to be heard by the criminal justice system," Bellamy said.

Going forward

HAWC Deputy CEO Sonia Corrales discussed four recommendations that are being taken since the report's release.

• Increase access to community-based advocacy.
• Increase collaboration and establish a framework based on results that will be continuously evaluated.
• Look deep into the policies, procedures and practices of each one of the organizations, and implement "big changes collectively" if needed.
• Strengthen survivor voices and implement protocols to include survivors in the process.

Explained

The Harris County Sexual Assault Response Team published the inaugural report Jan. 10.

• According to the report, HAWC used the data from the SART report, including survivor experiences and organizational knowledge collected over more than four decades, to outline the major systemic issues of reporting sexual assault.
• Since its formation in December 2021, SART members have included law enforcement agencies, medical providers, forensic nurses, community-based advocates, government and nongovernment agencies as well as criminal justice systems from across Harris County.
• Individually and collectively, SART members are tasked with helping improve practices in the investigation and prosecution of adult sexual assault while also prioritizing the health and safety of survivors in Harris County.

Dig deeper

The HAWC sexual assault report can be found here: HAWC report.