Incidents of sexual violence were documented during Hurricane Katrina’s aftermath but are not limited to that disaster. The chaos that sometimes defines disaster response unfortunately can create opportunities for violent people to act, according to Tracy Cox, communications director for the National Sexual Violence Resource Center.
“There is so much chaos and disruption and stress on people it really creates a lot of vulnerabilities,” Cox said. “In general, sexual crimes are vastly underreported; 63 percent go unreported. In [disasters] how do they even get reported when telephone lines are out, Internet and phone services are out?” She said flooding or other barriers might also preclude a victim from going to a rape crisis center or police station.
It’s important for emergency managers or those working in areas where evacuees may be present to be cognizant of the possibilities, Cox said. “It’s risk reduction — establishing protocols and having separate changing areas that are well lit. Sexual crimes occur every day, and these scenarios, pardon the expression, are the perfect storm.”
Cox said it’s important for those working to help displaced citizens to understand that sexual violence could occur, to have resources available and even question evacuees as they enter shelter locations. She said conveying to people that violence will not be tolerated and creating an atmosphere where people are looking out for each other is important. Asking about prior experience with sexual violence or if someone was living previously with a violent person could be helpful as well. “In small town areas someone may have been living with an offender and both could be displaced by a disaster and at a shelter,” Cox said.
Those staffing shelters should have an understanding of what to do to protect people from sexual violence and how to reduce those risks. There are resources, including a guide to sexual violence in disasters, a fact sheet and free online courses available from the National Sexual Violence Resource Center.
Cox said it’s not known how often these crimes occur during disasters because they tend to be underreported anyway and especially in a circumstance such as a disaster scenario. But she said reports from victims and staff have come from myriad disasters.
“Having this on your radar is a very important step,” she said. “We know that among the general public about 20 percent of people have experienced sexual violence in their lifetimes. So when a disaster hits, you’re going to have survivors coming to you for aid and shelter, so be aware that the people you’re serving might have a history of this. It’s very important.”
