ROANOKE, Va. – April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
Every 68 seconds, someone is sexually assaulted in the U.S., according to RAINN, which is the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization.
10 News spoke with a sexual assault crisis center in the Roanoke Valley about how many hotline calls it said it receives each year.
SARA Roanoke said that, on average, it receives about 1,200 hotline calls each year. The group that people aged 18 to 40 are mainly calling.
The nonprofit has several resources. Some services the organization provides include its hotline. Advocates will also go to the hospital with sexual assault survivors or go to court with them.
Director of Education and Outreach Bethny Barrett said they’ve noticed an uptick in the number of hotline calls it usually gets.
“And that makes it sound like there is more sexual violence occurring in our community, but the amount of contacts we get doesn’t necessarily equate to the amount of sexual violence. It has more to do with the fact that more folks are reaching out, so more folks are either aware of our services or just becoming interested in accessing our services,” said Barrett.
Barrett said if you know someone has been sexually assaulted, it’s important to listen to them.
“Whatever they’ve told you, 100 percent believe them. The other thing is to let them know that they’re not alone. That doesn’t mean that you understand what they’re going through or that you know exactly what they’re feeling, but that you’re there for them and that you’re there for them without judgment.”
She also said if the person is open to it, offer resources to them.
If you think someone has been sexually assaulted, Barrett said signs for everyone can be different. However, a common sign is if someone’s behavior changes.
They might also experience depression or anxiety.
Barrett said domestic violence and sexual assault are also often linked.
“What you’ll see, for instance, if somebody has had abuse by their romantic partner, it’s very common that even if those in addition to the sexual violence some sort of other physical violence it’s very common that those two things go hand in hand,” said Barrett.
Meanwhile, SARA Roanoke said it received 1,200 calls each year.
10 News asked how these numbers compare to the nation or the state. However, Barrett said it’s hard to compare data when it comes to sexual assault.
“So, I will say one thing that is hard about sexual assault data is that we know that the number of assaults happening is much higher than the amount being reported. So, if you’re taking the numbers from law enforcement, that number is going to be the lowest. If you’re taking it from support organizations, that might be higher than law enforcement but lower than what is occurring,” said Barrett.
10 News reached out to other groups across our viewing area to see how many calls they are receiving.
Women’s Resource Center of the New River Valley received more than 2,000 hotline calls last year. The group said that from January 2024 to December 2024, it served 1,121 unduplicated clients for sexual assault. So far this year, it’s served 357 unduplicated clients for sexual assault.
Haven of the Dan River Region, serving Pittsylvania and Danville, had almost 400 hotline calls last year, 15 of which were related to sexual assault. This year, Haven of the Dan River Region had 50 hotline calls, 9 of which were for sexual assault.
YWCA Central Virginia says it received almost 700 hotline calls last year. So far this year, YWCA Central Virginia’s Sexual Assault Response Program answered 159 hotline calls. The group responded to 48 adults and 44 children.
Barrett said you can reach out to SARA Roanoke if you need help.
The group serves Roanoke City and County, Botetourt, Salem, Craig and Franklin Counties.
There are other women’s resource centers across that offer services, too. You can reach out to the Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance as well.
Barrett has this message for anyone who’s experienced sexual assault.
“I believe you. I hate it that the fact of the matter is that some folks that share their story, the first thing they may be told is that they’re lying or that they don’t actually know what happened to them. But that’s not true. You know what happened to you. You know your experiences. You know, what is true. And we believe you and the other thing is that you’re not alone,” said Barrett.
