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North Dakota saw a record number seek help for domestic violence and sexual assault in 2024
The number of people in North Dakota who sought help for domestic violence and sexual assault last year is higher than any other year on record.
The North Dakota Domestic and Sexual Violence Coalition said in a June 2 news release that 6,334 victims of domestic violence and 1,363 victims of sexual assault were served by advocacy centers in 2024, up 3.3% and 5.8% from 2023, respectively.
'These statistics only scratch the surface of how many North Dakotans are experiencing violence," said Seth O'Neill, the coalition's executive director. "We must continue outreach, crisis intervention, and violence prevention work in order to end domestic and sexual violence for good.'
In 2024, 81% of domestic violence victims in the state who sought help were women, and more than 4,700 children were directly affected by incidents of domestic violence, the news release says.
At least 1,100 sexual assault victims, or about 81%, served by advocacy centers in the state were also women, and 226 primary victims were under the age of 18 at the time of the assault.
People with disabilities were also greatly affected: 23% of domestic violence victims and 36% of sexual assault victims served in 2024 had disabilities.
More than 13%, or about 44 million people, in the U.S. civilian noninstitutionalized population had a disability in 2022, according to Census data.
The North Dakota Domestic and Sexual Violence Coalition has a map and list of victim advocacy centers across the state that can help with safety planning, finding shelter, obtaining a protection order and more.
The National Domestic Violence Hotline can be reached by phone at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233), by text by messaging START to 88788, or by chat at
The National Sexual Assault Hotline can be reached by phone at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or online at
This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: North Dakota saw record number seek help for domestic, sexual violence
