College Isn’t a Reality for Everyone
The national attention on campus sexual assault has sparked conversations across the country about the needs of sexual assault survivors aged 18-24 who attend college. However, many people aged 18-24 do not attend college, but women in that age group still experience the highest rate of sexual assault than any other age group (Sinozich & Langton 2014). College enrollment is at the lowest it has been since 2003 (Norris, 2014), so a significant number of people from the age group most at risk for sexual violence do not benefit from the increased attention on campus sexual assault. Although campus sexual assault needs the attention it is receiving, a recent study from the Bureau of Justice Statistics found that between 1995 and 2013, young women aged 18-24 not enrolled in college were 1.2 times more likely to experience rape or sexual assault than were women in the same age group attending college (Sinozich & Langton 2014).