Sex offense reports doubled at the flagship public universities of Maryland and Virginia last year, among several other American universities.
Newly released federal data reports that there were 19 reports at the University of Maryland in 2013 - up nine from the year before. Over in at the University of Virginia, there were 27 reports in 2013, putting the school up 16 cases from the year prior.
School officials from both universities credit the significant increase in sex offense cases to more awareness of the crime (making students more comfortable to come forward and report an incident), rather than an increase in the inappropriate behavior all together, Washington Post reported.
"This heightened reporting and investigation is critical to our addressing these issues effectively on campus, which is our highest goal," Mark Anskis, a spokesman from the Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania, said to Washington Post. "We are proud of our students' courage. We believe this means that things that were previously left unreported can now come to light and be dealt with in the very best ways possible. Our ultimate goal is to prevent and eliminate all sexual assault from campus."
This year President Barack Obama, among other lawmakers, focused on how to deal with campus sex assault, which could be a reason why more students are coming forward with reports, according to Washington Post. Over 80 American colleges and universities are currently under investigation by the Education Department's Office for Civil Rights for their handling of sexual-violence complaints.
"When these systems are put in place, you'll see more people coming forward and reporting because they're confident in the response from the institution," Abigail Boyer, an assistant executive director at the nonprofit Clery Center for Security on Campus, based in Pennsylvania, said to Washington Post.
