These Statistics Will Show You How Sexual Assault And Abuse Impacts Women On A Global Scale
We now live in a global culture that has normalised the continuation of sexual violence. But, amongst this tragedy, there is a growing global awareness of the problem – and a demand for the voices of those affected to be heard.
Women are starting to feel confident in speaking up and being taken seriously in their pain, even in places it may have seemed unthinkable before. This confidence grows with every social media hashtag (think #MeToo and #TimesUp), every conversation opened up about a women’s experience of sex and every lesson learnt on the often-ignored realities of consent. And while women living in countries such as the UK, US, and Australia fight from a higher position of privilege than that of some parts of Asia, Africa and the Middle East, it is now more important than ever that we continue to become allies for women suffering in silence around the world.
We looked at global statistics covering sexual harassment and assault across the continents and it’s horrifying to say the least. This is the harsh reality of the world we live in, and here’s a breakdown of the facts:
In the UK...
23%
increase in reported sexual offences between September 2016 and 2017
138,045
sexual assaults reported across England and Wales
85,000
women are raped every year
11
sexual assaults take place every hour
93%
of the combined 202,666 individuals who called the Rape Crisis helpline, and the 67,059 who accessed their specialist services, who were female
90%
of rape victims who know their attacker prior to the offence
15%
of women have reported their assaults to police
In the US...
98
seconds between sexual assaults
>570
individuals who experience sexual violence in a single day
>321,500
sexual assaults in a year
90%
of rape victims reported to be female
1 in 6
women will survive an attempted or completed rape in their lifetime
13%
of these female survivors will go on to attempt suicide
7 in 10
victims know their attacker before they are assaulted
In Canada...
1 in 4
women have been sexually assaulted
80%
of rape victims identify as female
8 in 10
perpetrators are family or a friend of the victim
6%
of women have reported their assaults
In Australia and the Pacific...
17%
of Australian women have experienced sexual assault over the age of 15
20.6%
of Australian women report experiencing non-penetrative sexual abuse before the age of 16
60%
of women across the Pacific have experienced violence at the hands of a partner
In Asia...
57%
of women in Bangladesh have experienced sexual harassment, as well as...
77%
of women in Cambodia,
79%
of women in India, and
87%
of women in Vietnam
In the Middle East and Africa...
37%
of Arab women have reported experiencing some form of violence
99%
of women in Egypt have experienced some form of sexual harassment
>50%
of women in sub-Saharan Africa have reported violence at the hands of their husbands or partners
Across the Globe...
35%
of women have come forward with reports of sexual or physical violence
>1bn
women are assaulted annually
120m
sexual assaults on young girls every year
4 in 10
women have experienced sexual or physical violence from a partner
If you are a victim or have been affected by sexual assault or domestic abuse and require support, please head to our Resources page, select your country, and we'll direct you to the appropriate organisations and helplines.
