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Impact of COVID-19 on Sexual Assaults in the City of Pittsburgh--A Case Study
Voiceover
Presenter(s)
Brooke Baker
Abstract or Description
Sexual assaults are one of the most under-reported crimes with a large number of rapes not reported. The rate of sexual assaults has been shown to increase during states of emergency. At the start of COVID-19 quarantine in 2020, many organizations reported an increased demand for sexual assault victim services, but many hospitals and police departments reported a substantial decrease in the number of forensic sexual assault exams performed and rape kits collected. While 911 calls reporting domestic violence were shown to increase during lockdown, official police reports and arrests declined. This research examined how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the rate of reported sexual assaults and rape kit collection regionally, nationally, and globally. A literature review was done to examine factors that may have contributed to the change in sexual assaults, reports, and rape kits collected throughout the pandemic. Rape kit data from 2019-2021 was obtained from the crime lab at the Allegheny County Office of the Medical Examiner and UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. Interviews were then conducted with three individuals in Pittsburgh with an inside perspective on this topic to get their views on this issue: an advocate from PAAR, a SANE from UPMC Children’s, and a leader at ACOME. The results of the literature review, data analysis and interviews showed that the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the rate of reported sexual assaults and the number of rape kits collected in various ways, though not all significant enough to fully contribute to the pandemic. This was forensically relevant because it demonstrated how a worldwide crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic can greatly impact another major issue like the sexual assault crisis. It points out flaws in the system and highlights the need for changes to be made so that a crisis like COVID-19 won’t interfere with sexual assault victims’ accessibility to resources in their pursuit of justice.
Mentor
Dr. Pamela Marshall
Comments
Anne Burrows3 years ago
This is timely and fascinating research! Did you happen to discover whether there was an age effect on your outcomes? For example, were older, middle-aged, or minor patients hesitate to report more than other age groups?
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Brooke Baker3 years ago
Thank you! I didn't see anything that indicated that there was a notable change in the age of victims reporting during the pandemic. The majority of domestic violence-related SAs occur among adults, whereas with children it is more sexual abuse, so with an increase in DV cases seen that would probably be seen more as an increase in the adult population reporting. The pandemic did scare more people away from presenting at emergency departments due to fear of contracting the virus, which would have made elderly victims especially vulnerable reporting for an exam, so although calls reporting SAs or DV may have increased, the number of people actually presenting at a facility to have a SA exam done may not have accurately reflected the number of SAs actually occurring. What I did find from interviewing the SANE Coordinator at UPMC Children's Hospital was that the number of minors being brought in by a guardian due to exposure to DV went up during the pandemic, which could mean that DV cases really did go up among the middle-aged population in the Pittsburgh area during lockdowns. This would need to be further examined by collecting data from some of the other hospitals in the area that treat adult SA patients. It would be interesting to collect and compare SAK data on these specific age groups over the pandemic to observe whether any significant differences were seen among reporting. I appreciate your interest in my research!
Melissa Kalarchian3 years ago
This represents an original synthesis of interviews, local rape kit data, and literature review to highlight the need for systemic changes. Thanks for this timely submission!
Dr. Kalarchian, Assoc. Provost, Office of Research and Innovation
Dr. Kalarchian, Assoc. Provost, Office of Research and Innovation
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