Sexual Violence is shockingly prevalent in all communities.
The following statistics highlight the scale of the issue in England and Wales amongst men and women.
- A woman is more likely to experience sexual violence than she is to get breast cancer. The ‘Breast Cancer Now’ charity estimates around 55,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer every year in the UK. The 2020 Crime Survey for England and Wales estimated 618,000 women were victims of sexual assault. But, unlike cancer, sexual violence is rarely discussed
- Recent research amongst a group of over 1,000 randomly selected men, identified that 21% (1 in 5) had experienced a sexual crime and 50% (1 in 2) had an unwanted sexual experience. (Savanta ComRes February 2021).
- The Crime Survey for England and Wales estimate that 7.5% of adults aged 18 to 74, experienced sexual violence before the age of 16 years, that equates to 3.1million people.
- Only 1 in 6 victims (17%) of sexual violence ever report their experiences to the police. Reasons given include fear of not being believed, self-blame, humiliation, and embarrassment. (Crime Survey for England and Wales 2020).
- In 2019/20, 58,856 rape cases were recorded by police forces in England and Wales, only 2,102 abusers,( 3.57%), were prosecuted.
Find out more about common myths relating to sexual violence here.
If you need any support following the sexual violence of a survivor you can find information about our specialist support services on the Get Help section of this website or you can contact us to talk confidentially.
