Most Ohioans likely will find little solace in knowing the official scope of rape and sexual violence in the Buckeye State has declined ever so slightly in recent years. According to a recent report from the Ohio Office of Criminal Justice Services, the statewide sexual assault crime rate dropped 4.3% between 2016 and 2023 in Ohio.

That slight ray of hope, however, is completely overshadowed by other data that clearly illustrates sexual violence remains a painful, powerful and destructive cancer on our state. Consider:

â–Ź The Incident-Based Reporting System within the Ohio Office of Criminal Justice Services reported more than 3,800 cases of rape in the state in 2025.

â–Ź Ohio law enforcement agencies cleared only 13.5% of all reported rape cases between 2022 and 2024, which sadly stands significantly lower than the already low national rate of 26.5%.

â–Ź More than half of all women and 1 in 3 men in the nation have experienced sexual violence involving physical contact in their lives, according to the U.S. Department of Justice’s National Crime Victimization Survey.

In the face of this unrelenting criminal epidemic, leaders at the local, state and national levels must continue to do all possible to help victims heal and to put perpetrators in their places — behind bars for deservedly long prison sentences.

Toward those ends, several measures pending in the Ohio General Assembly merit serious consideration by lawmakers of all political stripes. After all, sexual violence is an equal-opportunity horror among Democrats, Republicans and independents alike.

Just last month, Senate Minority Leader Nickie Antonio, D-Lakewood, introduced bipartisan legislation co-sponsored by Sen. Nathan Manning, R-North Ridgeville, to close a gaping loophole in current Ohio law on civil actions for victims of rape and sexual violence.

Their legislation would increase the current statute of limitations for filing civil actions seeking financial damages against perpetrators from one year to five years.The overwhelming majority of states in our union have civil statutes of limitations for rape and sexual assault much longer than one year. Numerous states have abolished those permissible time frames for filing suit altogether.

Antonio rightfully points out that the trauma induced by acts of sexual assault can render a victim numb for months and sometimes years after the commission of the heinous crime.

“By the time a survivor has decided they would like to sue for financial damages — and I would say they’re feeling like they can follow through with that action — the current statute has run out, leaving them with no recourse,” Antonio told the Senate Judiciary Committee, where the bill is being heard and debated.

We urge Judiciary Committee Chairman Manning and Mahoning Valley member Sen. Al Cutrona, R-Canfield, to work to expedite the legislation through the often slow-moving bureaucratic channels.

In addition to Antonio’s Senate Bill 421, several other measures related to sexual violence in our state are pending in the state Legislature. All deserve careful and thoughtful consideration.

Among them is House Bill 102, a common-sense measure that would block registered sex offenders from living within 2,000 feet or loitering within 1,000 feet of their victim’s residence. Like Senate Bill 421, this measure would close another loophole in Ohio’s Revised Code.

Even though longstanding Ohio prevents sex offenders from living near schools or day-care centers, the state historically has had no specific restrictions regarding perpetrators’ proximity to their victims. Given the bill sponsored by state Reps. Roy Klopfenstein, R-Haviland, and Josh Williams, R-Sylvania Township, passed the House with an overwhelming 89-2 majority, the Senate should fast track it through the senior chamber of the Legislature before summer recess.

Yet another measure, House Bill 855, The Ohio Safe Homes Act, was introduced just last week. It would permit tenants who are survivors of rape, sexual violence or domestic abuse to safely terminate a rental lease early or request lock changes without financial penalties. It also includes a tax credit mechanism for cooperating landlords.

For many victims of such abuse, moving their residence often is the most viable option to protect their physical safety and to aid in their emotional recovery.

These and other updates to Ohio law sadly won’t rid our state of the pernicious scourge of rape and sexual violence. But they do offer hope that survivors will get treated with the additional compassion, protection and support they need and that culprits will face stronger roadblocks to escaping the tough justice they deserve.