Amid the ongoing conversation regarding how Aus­tin supports sexual assault survivors, SAFE Alli­ance announced that its Sexual Assault Nurse Examin­ers team saw a significant decrease in patients in 2019. During her monthly update to the city’s Public Safety Commission on Jan. 6, SAFE’s Senior Director of Sexual Assault and Health Services Juliana Gonzales shared the numbers: 667 patients were served in 2018 compared to 629 patients in 2019, marking a 6% year-to-year decrease. As SAFE told the Chronicle afterward, “2019 was the first time we’ve seen patient numbers go down” since the nonprofit opened its on-site sexual assault clinic Eloise House and launched its forensic nursing program in 2015. For comparison, 2016 to 2017 saw a 12% increase in visits, while 2017 to 2018 saw a 5% increase.

And no, this doesn’t mean Austin’s solved its rape crisis. Gonzales told the PSC this seems to be part of a trend happening nationwide. “It’s our sense that sexual violence may be increasing, but the rate of services, especially those engaged with the criminal justice system, are declining.” When asked by commissioners if there’s a chance survivors are “distrustful” of the system, Gonzales said there are many reasons people chose to not report, including safety, but added, “I think there’s a certain degree [of distrust] when there’s negative publicity regarding how the criminal justice system might handle your case.” (The way Austin and Travis County authorities respond to sexual assault has been the focus of local and national headlines for well over a year.) However, when asked by the Chronicle about reasons for the decline, SAFE offered: “It’s all conjecture.” A new forensic nursing clinic opened last year in Williamson County, which could’ve had an impact on the Austin numbers. SAFE added there may have been an “increase in patients in seeking services related to sexual assault as a result of the #MeToo movement” in 2017 and 2018. It’s also worth noting that SAFE offers resources and support for all survivors of rape, sexual violence, and “unwanted sexual experience[s]” “regardless of whether they are interested in reporting to law enforcement.

Editor’s note: This post has been updated with the correct logo for Austin’s SAFE Alliance.

This article appears in January 17 • 2020.

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