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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 figure is based on the National Crime Victimization Survey — which asks people age 12 and older about crimes that have happened to them that they did not report to authorities.
The decline in rates has been fairly consistent during these years, while other violent offenses increased, according to federal crime data.
The seemingly stunning reduction in sexual violence has been so consistent over the past two decades that some experts say they have started to believe it is accurate, even if they cannot fully explain it.

According to a DOJ estimate based on the survey, in 1979, there were 2.8 rapes per 1,000 people, while in 2004, there were 0.4 rapes per 1,000 people.
According to statistics collected by the Federal Bureau of Investigation based on rape cases reported to police, rape case incidence peaked in 1992 with 0.4 reported rapes per 1,000 people. In 2004, there were 0.3 reported rapes per 1,000 people.
“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.”

While many experts do doubt the accuracy of such numbers, National Organization for Women president Kim Gandy told the Post there is little doubt there has been a decline in rape over the past 10 to 20 years. ‘It`s very liberating for women, in terms of now being able to be more free and more safe,’ she said.
Some criminologists say these numbers might be a statistical mirage, but most are convinced that the numbers indicate a real decrease in sexual violence. Rape remains the most underreported of crimes. One school of thought holds that rape has declined for the same reasons other violent offenses have: a reduction in the lawlessness associated with crack cocaine, a shrinking population of young people and an increased number of criminals in jail.

By all accounts, rape is still one of the most underreported crimes. Decades after the establishment of rape crisis hot lines, greater sensitivity toward victims by police and prosecutors, adoption of policies by news organizations to not identify victims and limitations on how much a victim’s sexual history can be placed in evidence at trial, the Justice Department estimates that 61 percent of rapes and sexual assaults are not reported. But that is down from 69 percent in 1996, and experts say the trend remains downward.

But not everyone is convinced that things are getting that much better. Many who work with rape victims say there has not been a widespread decline in attacks. Instead, despite the years of attempted outreach to rape victims, they say the crime might be as hidden now as ever.
Last week, the FBI released its preliminary crime data for 2005, which showed that reports of rape had again fallen slightly, even as other violent crimes ticked upward.