It was over a decade ago that “Rape in America: A Report to the Nation” was released as a result of a joint venture among the National Victim Center, the National Institute of Drug Abuse and the National Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center.

The report studied rape frequency in America, statistics about rapes reported to law enforcement and how media disclosure of victim identities affects the reporting of rapes to law enforcement.

At the time, the women surveyed gave the following primary reasons why they did not report their assaults: not wanting her family to know she was sexually assaulted (71 percent), people thinking that it was her fault or that she was responsible (69 percent), not wanting people outside her family to know (68 percent), and her name being made public by the news media (50 percent).

Although great strides have been made in the effort to end sexual assault, recent incidents during the Kobe Bryant trial have shown that many of the fears acknowledged in the 1992 survey are likely to be held true by victims today.

Throughout this case, the court erred in releasing documents containing the woman’s name. In one incident, the court distributed the transcript from a closed hearing about her sexual history to journalists. And, during the trial, several media outlets – mostly Web sites – posted the alleged victim’s name and photograph. These actions brought on death threats and constant harassment of the alleged victim.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, sexual assault is one of the most widely underreported of violent crimes. Until our criminal justice system and the media work harder at protecting the privacy and securing the rights of victims, they will continue to withhold disclosing their assaults. This will leave rapists free to commit additional crimes and not be held accountable for their actions. It will also leave many victims silent and living in fear, thus continuing the cycle of the attitudes and myths that are associated with the victims and perpetrators of sexual assault.

We are hopeful that in the future, victim-survivors will be granted privacy and support when they decide to come forth about their assaults. Until then, it is likely that well over half of all sexual assault victims will continue to remain silent about their assaults, never reporting the crime, out of fear for how they will be judged and treated in the aftermath.

At this time, we can only speculate how this one trial will affect other rape victims who are considering coming forward and reporting their attacks. We hope they will not assume that by reporting, they will have to endure what Bryant’s alleged victim endured. They should know they don’t have to stay silent or go through the ordeal alone.

In Maine, male and female victim-survivors have access to free and confidential advocates who will help ensure that they are treated fairly by police, attorneys and the courts. These advocates, who will assist victim/survivors through the legal system if they choose to report, can be reached 24-hours a day by calling toll-free 1-800-871-7741 (or TTY: 1-888-458-5599) from anywhere in Maine.

Sarah Stewart is the public awareness coordinator for the Maine Coalition Against Sexual Assault.