A new survey of Kodiak Island Borough says that at least 44 percent of the women there have experienced sexual violence, intimate partner violence, or both types. The University of Alaska Anchorage Justice Center says that their survey estimates are conservative since they only spoke with 423 women who have either a cell phone or a landline and can speak English. The study states that instances of violence may be higher among women who were excluded from the study.
Anne Hillman is a behavioral health clinician working in rural Alaska. Before going back to school for her Masters of Social Work, she covered social justice issues for Alaska Public Media and ran the multimedia and arts project Mental Health Mosaics with Out North.