In reference to Attorney General Gurbir Grewal’s announcement today that all 21 County Prosecutors in New Jersey will hold community forums this fall on local college campuses to address the issue of campus sexual violence, Acting Director of the Division on Women, Anna Martinez, issued the following statement.

“Data show that one out of every six women will be the victim of sexual assault in their lifetime. On college campuses, women between the ages of 18 and 24 have a three times greater risk, with only 20% reporting to law enforcement,” said Anna Martinez, Acting Director of the Division on Women in the Department of Children and Families. “For students  who are LGBTQI, the statistics are higher.  Attorney General Grewal’s announcement today that prosecutors in every county will visit New Jersey’s college campuses to encourage the reporting of sexual violence to law enforcement and to urge survivors to come forward is progressive and impressive.  Sexual assault is trauma and trauma can be physically and emotionally crippling if it’s not identified and managed. Reporting the crime can be a first positive step towards healing. Sexual assault survivors can call law enforcement to file a report or call the  New Jersey Coalition Against Sexual Assault (NJCASA) Hotline for counseling and resources, 24 hours a day/7 days a week at 1 (800) 601-7200.”