While the violent crime rate in Utah has been ranked below the national average, this statistic can be misleading.
In the 2006 statistical abstract released by the U.S. Census Bureau, Utah ranked 45th in violent crimes. But Debbie Dilley of the Utah Coalition Against Sexual Assaults said Utah ranked 17th in the nation for incidents of sexual assault.
Advocates like UCASA and the Rape Recovery Center are trying to raise awareness about this prevalent problem in Utah during April, which is Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
Dilley, who has been working with UCASA for three years training others to help victims of sexual violence and rape, said many Utahns are surprised at how prevalent this problem has become in the state.
“We have some really high statistics in the state of Utah, and we should be worried,” she said.
In fact, Utah has a higher rate of sexual assault than big crime areas such as California, New York and Washington, D.C.
“In the state of Utah, rape and sexual assault is the only category of crime in which Utah exceeds the national average,” Dilley said.
According to UCASA, one in three Utah women will be victims of sexual assault at some point during their life. These numbers might be especially high because Utah is home to many children as well as disabled and elderly persons, who are often victims of abuse. Dilley said these vulnerable populations are the most likely targets of sexual violence because they are seen as weak.

Dilley said many people in Utah don’t know how to stop the problem of sexual assault, despite the high statistics, and many victims feel ashamed to speak out.
“We have to learn to be able to talk about it,” Dilley said. “I think that’s the primary thing. You get this taboo of talking about anything that has to do with sex, which means that so much gets pushed aside and not talked about.”
Throughout April, UCASA is working with other organizations in Utah to start changing this lack of discussion through a series of events designed to implement rape prevention and recovery. The next few weeks will be studded with 5K runs, workshops, yoga for healing classes, art projects and marches to raise awareness about the prevalence of sexual assault in Utah.
The U is involved in a number of these projects, including a “Poetry Slam for Survivors” on April 15 and The Clothesline Project, which ran Monday and Tuesday in the Union Ballroom. Victims of sexual abuse created T-shirts telling their story behind the privacy of temporary cubicle walls installed on the south side of the Union Ballroom. The T-shirts were then hung on a clothesline.
Braxton Dutson, a senior in social work, first saw The Clothesline Project at Utah Valley University and immediately fell in love with the way it gave survivors a voice.
“If we forget about it, then history has a way of repeating itself,” Dutson said. “The only way to break the cycle is by speaking out.”
In two days, more than 15 victims made shirts at the U. Their shirts were displayed alongside borrowed shirts from UVU’s program and will be added to The Clothesline Project archives and displayed for future events as well. The Clothesline Project will be held at the U once a semester.
“It’s been a very healing and amazing opportunity,” Dutson said.