Half of young victims of sexual violence do not tell anyone, study finds

Half of young people who have been victims of sexual violence do not tell anyone, a study by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) has found.

Of those aged 18 to 24 who experienced sexual violence as an adult or child, 50 per cent made a disclosure to someone, according to the research. The rate of disclosure for older people was significantly lower, with only 41 per cent of those aged 65 and older having made a disclosure to anyone.

Younger people are much more likely to first tell a friend of abuse rather than a family member. In the 18 to 24 age group, 66 per cent of victims who made a disclosure first made it to a friend. Just 13 per cent told a family member first.

The figures for disclosing abuse to gardaí are much lower across all categories. Of those who suffered sexual violence as an adult and made a disclosure, only 5 per cent reported it to gardaí. Women were only slightly more likely to go to the authorities than men.

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Adults aged 55 to 64 were more likely to go to gardaí, with 11 per cent making a report. Just 2 per cent in the 25-34 category did so.

Just under 60 per cent of victims who did not go to the gardaí said the reason was because they did not think the abuse was serious enough. About a third said it was because they felt ashamed or embarrassed.

Four per cent said they did not report the crime because they did not want to go to court, and 5 per cent because they did not want the perpetrator to be punished.

The study by the CSO is the latest in a series of reports commissioned by the Department of Justice looking at rates of sexual offending in Ireland. A previous report, released in April, showed four in 10 adults reported experiencing sexual violence as an adult or child.

The latest figures show people with higher education levels are more likely to report suffering sexual abuse. Just under half of adults with a third-level education reported experiencing sexual violence. This was three times higher than adults with a primary school level education.

LGBTQ+ and disabled people also reported higher levels of sexual violence. More than 70 per cent of bisexual people and 57 per cent of gay or lesbian people reported abuse, compared to 39 per cent of heterosexual people. Forty-five per cent of people with a disability reported abuse, compared to 39 per cent without a disability.

Non-Irish citizens living in Ireland are slightly more likely to disclose experiencing sexual violence compared to Irish citizens, 53 per cent versus 46 per cent.

The study also found only 20 per cent of men victims and 21 per cent of women victims said they used a support service. Of those who experienced sexual abuse as a child and did attend a service, 83 per cent said they found it useful.