U.S. rape rates fall sharply

WASHINGTON, June 19 (UPI) -- Per capita U.S. rape rates have fallen sharply since 1979 but some experts say that could be because the crime still often goes unreported.

The U.S. Justice Department says the number of rapes has fallen more than 85 percent and last year, reported rapes fell even though other violent crime rates rose, reports The Washington Post. The decline in rates has been fairly consistent during these years.

A Justice Department report based on public surveys says there were 0.4 rapes for every 1,000 people in 2004, compared to 2.8 rapes in 1979.

Some experts think these numbers may be a statistical mirage because rape is still underreported or poorly understood, the Post said. But others are convinced there is real improvement.

"Overall, there has clearly been a decline over the last 10 to 20 years," Kim Gandy, president of the National Organization for Women, told the Post. "It's very liberating for women, in terms of now being able to be more free and safer."

The Justice Department estimates that 61 percent of rapes and sexual assaults are not reported, but that figure is down from 69 percent in 1996, the Post said.