Violence against Women Partnership
Rape & Sexual Assault
- In 2008/9, 963 rapes and attempted rapes were reported to the police in Scotland. (Statistical Bulletin Crime and Justice Series, Recorded Crime in Scotland 2008-09)
- In the same period, 6,331 crimes of indecency were reported.
- In 2008/9 three per cent of adults had experienced at least one form of "serious sexual assault" since the age of 16. This included five per cent of women experiencing at least one form of "serious sexual assault" and one per cent of men. (2008-09 Scottish Crime and Justice Survey: Sexual Victimisation and Stalking)
- More than half (56%) of adults experiencing at least one form of "serious sexual assault" were assaulted by their partner. Nine in ten (90%) said the offender(s) was male and eight per cent said the offender(s) was female.
- Nine per cent of adults had experienced at least one form of "less serious sexual assault" since the age of 16. This included 15% of women experiencing at least one form of "less serious sexual assault" and three per cent of men.
- The relationship with the offender(s) varied by the form of "less serious sexual assault" experienced since the age of 16. For indecent exposure, 73% said the offender(s) was someone they had never seen before while for sexual threats, 45% said the offender(s) was their partner and 23% said it was someone they had never seen before. For unwanted sexual touching, 18% said it was their partner, 26% said it was someone else they knew and 36% said the offender(s) was someone they had never seen before.
- Almost all (96%) women experiencing any form of "less serious sexual assault" since the age of 16 said the offender(s) was male. In contrast, 48% of men experiencing any form of "less serious sexual assault" since the age of 16, said the offender(s) was male, four in ten (40%) said the offender(s) was female and 10% said there were some male and some female offenders.
- A study by NSPCC showed that a third of teenage girls in a relationship suffer an unwanted sexual act. (Christine Barter, Melanie McCarry, David Berridge and Kathy Evans, Partner exploitation and violence in teenage intimate relationships, 2009, available from www.nspcc.org.uk/INFORM)
- For prevalence of childhood sexual abuse (CSA), two recent World Health Organization reports have estimated figures at 20% for women and 5% for men. For any form of CSA, Cawson's UK study (2000) found 21% for women and 11% for men, while McGhee's Irish study (2003) found 30% for women, 24% for men. American studies range from 6% to 38% prevalence for women. (www.survivorscotland.org.uk)
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