The number of sexual assaults recorded by police has surpassed 40,000 nationwide in 2024, the highest rate in more than 20 years.<\/p>\n
Sexual assault\u00a0support lines:<\/p>\n
There were 40,087 victim-survivors of sexual assaults recorded in Australia last year, increasing by 10 per cent or 3,735 victims from the previous year.<\/p>\n
That’s according to the latest round of recorded crime data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics this week.<\/p>\n
The sexual assault victimisation rate also increased from 136 to 147 per 100,000 persons, making it the highest it has been since the ABS began releasing data in 1993.<\/p>\n
Experts told the ABC the number likely reflected only a fraction of sexual violence committed across Australia every year.<\/p>\n
Sexual assault reports increase in every jurisdiction<\/p>\n
The number of reported sexual assault victim-survivors increased in every state and territory.<\/p>\n
New South Wales recorded the largest increase, up 1,736 or 12 per cent compared to the previous year.<\/p>\n
Queensland (up 884 or 11 per cent) and Victoria (up 805 or 13 per cent) followed behind.<\/p>\n
The Northern Territory recorded its highest number of sexual assaults since 1993, with 516 reported.<\/p>\n
Nationally, around two in five victim-survivors were aged between 10 and 17 years old at the date of incident, and 81 per cent or 32,372 were female.<\/p>\n
The majority of sexual assaults occurred at a private residential location and did not involve the use of a weapon.<\/p>\n
In New South Wales, the victimisation rate increased from 176 to 194 victim-survivors per 100,000 persons \u2014 increasing for the 10th year in a row.<\/p>\n
The ABS also published data for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander victims of crime in three states.<\/p>\n
It found there were 1,738 sexual assault victim-survivors reported in NSW, 988 in Queensland, and 185 in South Australia.<\/p>\n
The most common age was between 10 and 17 years old at the time of reporting.<\/p>\n
More than a third were recorded as being related to family and domestic violence incidents.<\/p>\n
‘Disappointing and really disturbing’ numbers<\/p>\n
Multiple advocates and researchers the ABC spoke to had the same message: “It’s just the tip of the iceberg.”<\/p>\n
Karen Bevan, chief executive of sexual and domestic violence support service Full Stop, said those who did report faced an “inadequate and often harmful” experience.<\/p>\n
“So for me [the data] says a lot of things about the incredible bravery and courage of victim-survivors who do report,” she said.<\/p>\n
“But it also says a lot about our absolute failing as a country to come to grips with the significant numbers of people who’ve been subject to rape and sexual assaults.”<\/p>\n
She added the rate of young people recorded was also consistent with what their organisation was seeing on the ground.<\/p>\n
“Our largest single age cohort of calls come from under-25 year olds, so that’s who’s calling the sexual violence helpline here in NSW,” she said.<\/p>\n
“These statistics, in some ways they’re just another year of disappointing and really disturbing reading.<\/p>\n
“They’re also a really strong call for us to say we have to respond and support victim-survivors, whether it be through recovery and healing [or] through the court system and in our community.”<\/p>\n