Between 80 to 90% of sexual assaults reported to the Chicago Police Department have not resulted in an arrest or a clearance in the last decade, a new study by an independent watchdog group found, reports the Chicago Tribune via Yahoo News.

The report, by the Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation, found that the vast majority of cases are left unsettled, leaving victims scared, frustrated and traumatized, lacking any help for closure to their assault.

“There is a sense of institutional betrayal,” said Christine Crow, a staff attorney at CAASE.  “They are trying to make sure they are doing everything in their own power to uphold the feeling of obligation they have.  It’s incredibly demoralizing. For some it can be re-traumatizing.”

The study examined reports filed by police for aggravated criminal sexual assault, criminal sexual assault, aggravated criminal sexual abuse and criminal sexual abuse.

“I would love to see our leaders, the mayor, our aldermen, all the folks who are involved in this system to really account for the fact that only 10 to 20% are getting an arrest,” said Madeleine Behr, policy manager for CAASE and the writer of the report Too Little, Too Late? “That is beyond a failing grade.”

Chicago’s police department has a budget of $1.7 billion, and city aldermen are currently considering proposals to shift some of that money to other social services.  In a statement, the police agreed that policing alone cannot prevent sexual assaults, but they did not address the lack of closure for the cases.

“The report … highlights several important findings, and we share the opinion put forth in the report that sex crimes are not something that police can solve alone,” the statement read. “We need the help of the communities we serve to raise awareness around sexual assault and provide additional support to Chicago’s survivors.”

Chicago has had a traditionally low clearance rate for violent crime.  For example, the homicide clearance rate in the city was just 53% in 2017.