Other key statistics are:
- 31% of young women aged 18-24 report having experienced sexual abuse in childhood (NSPCC, 2011)
- In 2012-13, 22,654 sexual offences against under-18s were reported to police in England and Wales with 4 out of 5 cases involving girls (NSPCC, 2014)
- A third of people believe women who flirt are partially responsible for being raped (Amnesty, 2005)
- Conviction rates for rape are far lower than other crimes, with only 5.7% of reported rape cases ending in a conviction for the perpetrator. (Kelly, Lovett and Regan, A gap or a chasm? Attrition in reported rape cases, 2005)
* An Overview of Sexual Offending in England and Wales, a joint official statistics bulletin on sexual violence released by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), Office for National Statistics (ONS) and Home Office in January 2013.
Sexual assaults can happen in the context of:
- Dating
- Social occasions
- Public transport eg aeroplanes and tube
Sexual assaults are criminal offences and are also actionable in the civil courts, following which compensation could be recoverable.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted it is important that you report the matter to the police as soon as possible. The police will take investigations into sexual assault very seriously, using specialist officers. We can support you making first contact with the police if you wish, and signpost you to appropriate support services while any police investigation is ongoing.
