Statistics of Sexual Abuse

Statistics of Sexual Abuse

Approximately 1 in 5 women and 4% of men experience sexual abuse, with 85,000 women and 12,000 men experiencing rape or sexual violence annually. One in six children have been sexually abused, predominantly within family environments.

Reporting rates are alarmingly low, with only 15% of cases reported to police. Family contexts are particularly concerning, with 73% of child sexual abuse crimes occurring within families and most perpetrators being male family members. Only one in eight child sexual abuse victims report to authorities.

Public spaces, workplaces, and homes are the most common locations for sexual harassment. Seventy-one percent of women report experiencing harassment in public, with 86% of women aged 18-24 reporting such incidents. Notably, 70,633 rapes were recorded in 2022, with 98% of sexual assault arrests involving men.

The data reveals a pervasive pattern of sexual abuse across various settings, highlighting the urgent need for increased awareness, support, and legal protection for victims.

In this section:

• What are the Statistics of Sexual Abuse?
• How common is Sexual Abuse?
• How common is sexual abuse in families? 
• How common is sibling sexual abuse?
• Where is sexual abuse most common?

What are the Statistics of Sexual Abuse?

According to figures released by crasac (Coventry Rape and Sexual Abuse Centre):

• 1 in 5 women over 16 years of age have experienced some kind of sexual abuse throughout their life. Globally, this statistic is 1 in 3 women.
• Around 90% of the individuals who were either raped or sexually abused/assaulted knew the perpetrator before the offence.
• A mere 15% of the individuals who experience sexual abuse report it to the Police.

A report released by the Crime Survey of England and Wales states that an estimated 20% women and 4% men have undergone some kind of sexual abuse since they were 16 – that’s the equivalent of an estimated 3.4 million female victims and an estimated 631,000 male victims.

In the same report, 83% of the victims or 5 in 6 victims did not report the abuse to the Police.

While it’s unclear how many children in the UK are subjected to sexual abuse, research results released by NSPCC Learning indicates that:

• 1 in 20 children in the UK have been sexually abused, which is based on research involving 2,275 young peopled between the ages of 11 and 17.
• More than a third of Police-recorded sexual crimes are against children.
• Girls and older children are more at risk of experiencing sexual abuse.
• Most children who were sexually abused knew the perpetrator prior to the offence.

According to CARA (Centre for Action on Rape and Abuse):

• 70,330 rapes were recording by the Police in March 2022. This is the highest number ever recorded by the Office for National Statistics.
• 98% of adults prosecuted in all sexual offences are men.
• 1 in 2 rapes against women are carried out by either a partner or ex-partner.

There are literally hundreds to thousands of statistics available on sexual abuse, where in most cases, the matter was either not reported to the Police or no justice was served to the victim and their respective family.

If you or someone you know has ever experienced sexual abuse, please speak to our solicitor in complete confidence. Depending on your individual circumstances, we may be able to get you compensation for the experience you suffered, including the possibility of authorities taking legal action against the perpetrator.

How common is Sexual Abuse?

According to sexual abuse data released in 2023 by Crime Survey for England and Wales:

• 20% or 1 in 5 women and 4% of men will likely experience sexual abuse or violence in their lifetime.
• On average, 85,000 women and 12,000 men experience rape or sexual violence/assault in England and Wales each year. That is the equivalent of 11 sexual crimes or offences every hour.

According to sexual violence statistics released by crcc (Cambridge Rape Crises Centre):

• 1 in 4 women have been subjected to some kind of sexual violence at 16 years of age.
• 1 in 6 children have been sexually abused.
• 1 in 18 men have been subjected to sexual abuse of some kind since they were 16 years old.
• 798,000 women across England and Wales are either raped or sexually violated each year, which is the equivalent of 1 in 30 women.
• 94% of survivors of rape and attempted rape are women.
• 70,633 rapes were recorded by the Police towards the end of 2022 – the highest number recorded at the time.
• 1 in 2 rapes are against women where the perpetrator is either a current or ex-partner; 5 in 6 rapes against women are carried out by someone they already know.
• 98% of adults arrested for sexual assault or sexual offences are men.
• Most survivors of rape do not report it to the Police, with 5 in 6 women not reporting it, and 4 in 5 men not reporting it.
• 86% of women between 18 and 24 claim that they have been harassed sexually in a public place or venue; 71% of women of all ages have claimed the same.
• 52% of women have experienced episodes or instances of sexual harassment at the workplace.
• 9 in 10 girls and young adult women say they have been subjected to sexist name-calling in schools and were sent images of an inappropriate or sexual nature.

Suffice it to say, sexual abuse has always been common in the UK , with emerging statistics pointing to an increase in reporting to authorities.

Luckily, professional help is always available. Speak to one of our friendly and understanding solicitors today if you are currently experiencing or have ever experienced sexual abuse.

How common is sexual abuse in families?

One report revealing that 73% of crimes committed directly against children, also concluded that a third of sexual abuse occurred within families.

Also referred to as intra-familial abuse, sexual abuse within families or in a family environment may involve anyone from siblings to relatives, foster parents or carers, and even the child’s actual parents.

The family environment is a common context in which child sexual abuse, for example, takes place; nearly half of all child sexual abuse offences reported in England and Wales were in a family environment or setting.

Most of the perpetrators abusing children in a family environment are male. Studies suggest that child sexual abuse in a family environment affects 1 in 10 children (5% of boys and 15% of girls), where they experience some kind of sexual abuse before turning 16 years of age.

In a 2019 CSEW survey, respondents claimed that they had been sexually abused before the age of 16, where 5% said that they were abused by their fathers; 6% by their stepfathers; 1% by the mothers, and; 0.3% by their stepmothers. It was further revealed that 22% of the participants said other family members (with gender unspecified) had abused them sexually.

One UK study found that approximately a quarter of sexual abuse cases involving children took place in a family environment, where the perpetrator was under 18 years of age.

Furthermore, existing research indicates that child sexual abuse in a family environment tends to start at a younger age, involving more frequent and serious abuse over a longer duration.

Even though current research has been mostly conducted on sexual abuse involving individual family members, families may be involved in the organised abuse of children by multiple perpetrators, including child sexual exploitation where provocative images and videos containing child sexual abuse may be distributed.

Some surveys where adult survivors were asked to take part, revealed that approximately half of individuals involved in the production of such provocative material were family members, where biological or step parents were often the primary producers/perpetrators.

Sexual abuse by mothers or female carers/stepparents is less common – among the 986 children admitted to one of England’s sexual assault referral centre over a 3-year period, female parental figures were suspected of sexual abuse in just 18 cases, compared to 177 cases involving male parental figures.

In 2019’s Crime Survey for England and Wales report, 64% of respondents who experienced penetrative sexual abuse and/or rape by a parent, guardian, or step-parent, said that they did not report it, where it has been estimated that just 1 in 8 child sexual abuse victims in a family environment report the matter to statutory authorities.

Current sexual abuse statistics in families continue to get more disturbing with each passing day. If you or anyone has experienced sexual abuse in a family environment, please do not hesitate to contact our solicitor.

How common is sibling sexual abuse?

According to the Sibling Sexual Abuse report by RCEW National Project, sibling sexual abuse is the most common kind of child sexual abuse within families in the UK but one which rarely comes to light.

Rape Crisis conducted the world’s largest sexual abuse study in 2022 where it was revealed that 5% of children are affected by sibling sexual abuse; however, this form of sexual abuse is one of the lowest disclosed ones, which means statistics on it are likely much higher.

According to the RSACC, the 1 in 6 children and young people who are subjected to sexual abuse, 1 in 5 cases among these are related to sibling sexual abuse.

According to SARSAS, sibling sexual abuse is now one of the most common forms of child sexual abuse in UK homes.

The England and Wales Sibling Sexual Abuse Project conducted a research project where incidents of intra-familial sexual offences were analysed. Out of 11,840 incidents, 24% were those related to sexual offences between siblings. Moreover, 73% of the siblings harmed were females while 26% were male.

Even though estimates vary slightly but all of them suggest the same thing: a child in the UK is 2-5 times more likely to be abused by their sibling who’s under 18, than by a parent or adult in their household.

Sibling sexual abuse is a destructive, emotionally-charged, and complex form of child sexual abuse, often characterised by secrecy, concealment, and shame, having harrowing short as well as long-term consequences. If you have been sexually abused by a sibling or know anyone who has, please get in touch with our solicitor right away, who can offer you closure and explain what your options are in terms of getting justice and claiming damages.

Where is sexual abuse most common?

According to a 2018 report, the top three most common locations where women have reported sexual harassment or abuse are in a public space (66%), at work (38%), and at home (35%).

For men, the most frequented reported locations of sexual abuse were in public (19%), at school (14%), and at work or home (13%).

According to a 2020 survey, 71% of women of all ages in the UK have experienced sexual harassment in a public space. Among the 18-24 year old women who took part in the survey, 86% said they reported having experienced sexual harassment.

A 2021 survey conducted by UN Women UK YouGov states that sexual harassment in public continues to be a pressing concern in the country.

However, online sexual harassment and abuse is also prevalent, although not as prevalent as sexual abuse in a public space, it may be noted. “Cyber flashing” is one of the most common forms of online harassment – according to a 2018 YouGov survey, it was revealed that 19% of all women and 40% of women between the ages of 18 and 34, had received an inappropriate or unsolicited photo from someone they were not romantically involved with.

According to the UK Government’s 2020 Sexual Harassment Survey, sexual harassment was reported to occur the most frequently while out on a street or walking around (42%), in a pub, club or bar (31%), and while traveling on public transportation (28%).

The same survey reported that 29% of those employed at an organisation experienced some kind of sexual harassment, either at a workplace or workplace-related environment.

YouGov reports that most women have been sexually harassed on London public transport – more than 39% of Londoners have been the victim of unwanted sexual behaviour, with the majority being women (55%) and one in five being men (21%).

The most common type of sexual behaviour or abuse reported over public transport is ‘rubbing’ or a stranger deliberately pressing themselves up against a person in an inappropriate or sexual way (37% of women and 12% of men).

In a review published by the UK Government in 2021 where 32 schools and colleges were surveyed and more than 900 children as well as young people spoken to, it was discovered that:

• Almost 90% of girls and nearly 50% of boys were sent explicit pictures or videos which they did not want to see or found deeply disturbing.
• 92% of girls and 74% of boys said they were the subject of sexist name-calling

Whether physical, verbal, or emotional, sexual abuse in any place is a serious crime and an offense against the victim which is punishable by law. If you or anyone you know has been sexually harassed or abused in a public space, please don’t hesitate to come forward with your account. Based on your personal circumstances and the evidence available, our solicitors may be able to help you win compensation after successfully filing a claim.