HARRIS COUNTY, Texas — More than six million adults in Texas experience some form of sexual assault throughout their lifetime, according to the Texas Statewide Prevalence Study on Sexual Assault.
It's now being called a public health crisis.
On Wednesday, the Harris County Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) stood united as it released and discussed its latest report on sexual assault rates in Houston and Harris County. The 60-plus page report is eye-opening but crucial, and officials said it will now be used as a playbook to help bring more resources and change for sexual assault victims.
"We need survivors to know their case matters, their investigation matters, their healing matters," Houston Area Womens Center President and CEO Emilee Whitehurst said.
Community-based advocates, HAWC, law enforcement agencies, the Harris County District Attorney’s Office, medical providers and other organizations make up SART.
According to its latest data, 3,779 sexual assaults were reported to law enforcement in Harris County in 2021.
"That doesn't even begin to capture the actual number of sexual assaults in Harris County," Whitehurst said.
SART said less than 10% of sexual assaults are reported to law enforcement because survivors often feel disbelieved and have an uphill battle navigating the justice system.
"I am speaking from personal experience when I say walking the justice system in its current state is like walking nude and exposed down a long hallway paved in thorn bushes," sexual assault survivor Marlecia Price said. "It takes a lot of willpower and a lot of victims will lose momentum in trying to prosecute this, and that's why so many offenders continue to go under the radar."
According to Harris County prosecutors, antiquated laws add to the difficulty and a major backlog at the labs and a shortage in personnel on all levels.
"What this (report) shows us is that the solution is a math problem. We have backlogged rape kits, we have backlogged investigations, we have backlogged prosecutions, we have backlogged appeals, the answer to backlogs is more people because the customers are people," Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said.
SART hopes the new information will help streamline sexual assault reporting and hold offenders accountable. The team also plans on working together to provide more resources to victims, like easier access to advocates, as outlined in the report's recommendation section.
As for Marlecia, she had a message for victims of sexual assault: "All of our stories matter, we all matter, it may be difficult to speak up, but in speaking up we're helping the next person."
Before the Harris County SART team was created in 2021, there was no consistency in the way local sexual assault data was collected. If you'd like to see the full report, click here.