The number of sexual assaults reported to police has risen for the 12th straight year, pushing the rate of victim-survivors up to a level never recorded in Australia before.
New data released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics revealed that the number of sexual assaults increased by 11 per cent last year.
That took the number of victim-survivors up to 36,318 – 3547 higher than in 2022 – and the victimisation rate up from 126 to 136 people per 100,000.
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“There were 36,318 victim-survivors of sexual assault recorded by police in 2023, with increases across almost all states and territories,” ABS head of crime and justice statistics Samantha McNally said.
“Accounting for population growth, the rate of recorded sexual assault victim-survivors has gone up from 126 per 100,000 people last year, to 136 victim-survivors per 100,000 people.
“This is the highest rate of sexual assault victim-survivors recorded in our 31-year dataset.”
According to the data, 84 per cent of victim-survivors are women, while the age group that makes up the highest proportion of victims is 10 to 17-year-olds, at 41 per cent.
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The vast majority of sexual assaults (94 per cent) didn’t involve a weapon, while just under 70 per cent took place in a home.
Two of every five sexual assaults were linked to family and domestic violence, the ABS said.
The ABS data also included trends in other forms of crime, including homicide-related offences, which rose five per cent last year – although the victimisation rate remained stable.
Homicide-related offences include murder, attempted murder, manslaughter, and driving causing death.
Of those homicides, 38 per cent were domestic violence-related.
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