Sexual assaults reach ‘alarming’ levels on First Coast

It is a call for help that no one wants to hear: Someone has been sexually assaulted and is seeking help.

But Quigley House, Clay County’s only domestic violence and sexual assault center, says the frequency is increasing.

Quigley House reports 28 sexual assaults since July, the start of its fiscal year. The compares with 18 in all of the previous fiscal year.

As the nation honors April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month, Quigley sexual assault coordinator Sarah Halpert said the increase seems “alarming” but also could be a positive. The center believes the increase is due more to the organization’s activity in the community than more attacks.

“By putting the word out there that these services are out there for survivors, I think we are reaching more people who are reaching out to us when they need our services,” Halpert said. “In the past, perhaps they were not sure of who to call or what do do.

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“We are seeing more of a partnership with the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, State Attorney’s Office and local service organizations, steering them in our direction so we can give them the help that they need.”

For those who have been victimized, “there is hope, and there is healing on the other side of deep grief,” said a woman who was abducted and sexually assaulted in 2018. She spoke out during Jacksonville’s awareness month kickoff Tuesday in the City Hall Rotunda.

“Even in the darkest time, we are never truly alone,” she said, standing in front of a line of police officers at the event. “This experience has also opened my eyes to just how prevalent sexual assault really is, and that a very large majority of sexual assaults are actually committed by somebody that the victim already knows. This reveals an urgent call to action.”

According to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network, which operates the National Sexual Assault Hotline (800-656-HOPE), one of every six American women has been the victim of an attempted or completed rape in her lifetime.

Nine of every 10 victims of rape are female, while about 3% of American men (1 in 33) have experienced an attempted or completed rape in their lifetime.

From 2009 to 2013, Child Protective Services agencies substantiated or found strong evidence to indicate that 60,000 children a year were victims of sexual abuse, the network reports.

April has been nationally recognized as Sexual Assault Awareness Month since 2001, aiming to raise public awareness about sexual violence and to educate communities on how to prevent it. The theme of this year’s efforts is Together We Act, United We Change.

Officials from the Women’s Center of Jacksonville joined others from City Hall, the State Attorney’s Office and service agencies at Tuesday’s event. The center is the certified rape recovery program for victims from Duval, Baker and Nassau counties and helps victims of sexual violence through counseling and other services.

Chief Assistant State Attorney Adair Newman said her office filed 147 felony cases last year compared with 180 in 2023. That breaks down to 131 cases in Duval, 14 in Clay and two in Nassau.

Amanda Rodeiro, who oversees the sexual assault prevention programming at the Women’s Center, said the sexual violence statistics are “staggering” and its victims come from all backgrounds — men, women, children, LBGTQ+ individuals and those with disabilities.

“Preventing sexual violence is not the work of one person, one organization or even one moment,” Rodeiro said. “We know there is such a need for this in our communities, because when we go out and speak to the youth of this generation, we see firsthand their yearning to be seen, heard and educated on all of these different topics.”

For Halpert, the hope at Quigley House is that awareness of Sexual Assault Awareness Month continues so all victims learn where to turn for help and are educated about who could victimize them.

“Obviously, a huge piece of this is prevention and community education — getting out there, particularly the younger folks, college and even in the high schools, to talk to them about keeping themselves safe, being aware of their surroundings, and knowing who to call if they get into trouble,” Halpert said.

Events this month

The Women’s Center of Jacksonville and other groups have partnered with several organizations to plan events throughout the month. They include:

• The Betty Griffin Center hosts its 11th Annual Run for Peace 5K at 8 a.m. Saturday at the St. Johns County Ocean Pier, 50 Beach Blvd. in St. Augustine.
• Walk in My Shoes: 8:30 a.m. April 23 at the Duval County Courthouse, 510 W. Adams St. This 9-mile walk is part of the Lauren’s Kids Foundation’s “Walk in My Shoes” 1,500-mile trek across Florida to honor National Sexual Assault Awareness Month and National Child Abuse Prevention Month. Cost: $25 to register.
• Surviving to Thriving: 6 p.m. April 25 at Bab’s Lab, 603 Kings St. The evening of art will celebrate the voices of survivors and their healing. The event is free of charge.

The Women’s Center, which serves Duval, Baker and Nassau counties, has a 24-hour rape crisis hotline at (904) 721-7273. More information can be found at thewcj.org.

Quigley House works in Clay County, with a 24-hour crisis helpline at 904-284-0061.

Betty Griffin House serves St. Johns County with a 24-hour crisis intervention line at 904-824-1555.

In Putnam County, the Florida Department of Health has a Sexual and Domestic Violence Intervention and Prevention Program at 2801 Kennedy St. in Palatka. Its hotline is at 386-983-1358.