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FBI crime statistics show that the chance of a woman being raped in the state of Alaska is higher than in any other state in the union. But what about unreported sexual assaults? A new study conducted by the University of Alaska Anchorage’s Justice Center found that 9 out of 10 rape cases go unreported.

The study offered more grim statistics:

• More than 44 percent of those surveyed have suffered physical violence in a close relationship, from slapping to severe beatings.
• More than 58 percent report that they’ve suffered either threats of violence or actual physical violence in an intimate relationship or sexual assault at some time in the lives.
• More than 37 percent report that they’ve suffered some form of sexual assault in their lives.
• More than 4 percent report that they’ve suffered sexual assault in the past year.

“If you really stop and think about it and consider these numbers, it means there’s a level of violence and victimization in this state that makes you uncomfortable. It makes your skin crawl,” State Senator Hollis French toldReuters.

Sexual assault can happen to anyone and perpetrators come from all races and socioeconomic classes, religions and cultures. However, Native American and Alaska Native women are 2 to 2.5 times more likely to be sexually assaulted than women of all other ethnicities in the U.S., Amnesty International reported.

Previous studies have also shown that the average age of rape victims in Alaska was 16 while the average age of those accused was 29. Four out of five cases involved suspects who were relatives, friends or acquaintances.

“When a victim knows who harmed them and they live in a small community where everyone is related, they know that if they report that they were harmed, then other community members will be impacted,” Michelle DeWitt, director of the Tundra Women’s Coalition, told The Associated Press. “Knowing that someone may be removed from the community makes it very difficult to talk about it.”

If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, you can contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE for help. The Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network also operates 18 rape crisis centers in Alaska, and offers an online hotline, with live and anonymous crisis support 24 hours a day.

Seems Alaska is looking to improve their educational outlook. In an effort to combat illiteracy, increase attendance, and perhaps even decrease the suicide rate through better opportunities created by obtaining an education; courts in western Alaska are fining parents if their children skip school.

Court records show that some parents are being fined hundreds, sometimes thousands of dollars, if their children are missing too many days of school. The law allows police to ticket parents for truancy. The law says that children between the ages of 7 and 16 have to be in school or their parents can be fined up to $500 for every five unexcused absences.

Court records show that one Shishmaref woman owes $4,500 because her child skipped at least 110 days of school over a two-year period. It’s too early to know if the crackdown will help attendance rates in the isolated, rural communities. And collecting the money is another matter.

Personally, I think the fines are really there to make sure parents have incentive to make sure their children attend school. I have written in prior articles about the desperate state of affairs in Alaska when it comes to suicide rates of young people. Alaska boasts the highest suicide rates in the nation and trying to solve the problem is proving to be extremely difficult. This law might indirectly increase a young person’s chance of success by keeping them in school and helping them obtain a better education and therefore increase the opportunity of attending higher education.