The Latest Sexual Assault Statistics

Welcome to our guide on sexual assault statistics. This article focuses on claims that arise from cases of sexual assault and it supplies relevant statistics.

A claim for sexual abuse or sexual assault can be a difficult and emotional time.

Choose A Section

The Latest Sexual Assault Statistics
Sexual Assault Victim Support
Could I Claim Compensation For Rape Or Sexual Assault?
Calculating Compensation Payouts For Sexual Assault And Rape
The Benefits Of Working With A No Win No Fee Solicitor
More Information About Sexual Assault Statistics

A sexual assault claim can arise due to someone being subjected to an inappropriate or sexual act without their consent. It can take many forms, but the perpetrator often makes physical contact with the victim during the incident or incidents. For example:

Rape – penile penetration of the anus, mouth, or vagina without consent. Even attempted rape can lead to certain psychological issues.
Forced penetration – when an individual’s anus or vagina is penetrated with an object against their will. This includes when they are forced to penetrate themselves against their will.
Unwanted physical contact – being touched in a sexual way against your wishes, including above clothing.
Any sexual act with a minor – no adult can sexually interact with anyone below the age of consent. The age of consent in all UK nations is 16 years old.

Key pieces of legislation that cover sexual abuse include:

Indecency with Children Act 1960. (This applies to crimes committed before May 2004.)
Sexual Offences Act 1956. (Again, this applies to crimes committed before May 2004 and is mostly now repealed.)
Sexual Offences Act 2003. (This applies to crimes from May 2004 onwards.)

Sexual abuse claims can arise from instances of non-contact sexual behaviour. For example, you could be harassed or threatened with sexual acts.

Sexual Assault Statistics And Trends

In figures from the Office of National Statistics, we can see how long victims took to report cases of child sexual abuse to the police. These reports were made between April 2018 and March 2019.

As you can see from the graph below, the majority of reports(65.68%) concerned incidents of child sexual abuse that had occurred in the last year.

The second-highest percentage (14.17%) concerned incidents that had occurred 20 years ago or more. These would be known as cases of historic sexual abuse. A historical sexual abuse claim could begin when an adult comes forward and reports the incident(s) as an adult. You can still be compensated for these kinds of claims.

The Criminal Injury Compensation Authority (CICA) is the government agency typically responsible for processing these kinds of claims. Generally, they place a 2-year time limit from the date of the incident to make a claim.

However, historical cases are just one example of when the CICA can make an exception to this time limit and allow you to claim outside of the 2-year window. The time limit to claim could start from the date you reported the incident to the police if you have sufficient evidence as to why you weren’t able to report it sooner.

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Sexual Assault Victim Support

There are a number of resources available for victims of sexual assault. They can offer you emotional support, as well as guidance on what you can do next. Reaching out and asking for help can seem like a big task. However, it’s an important step in addressing your situation and aiding in your recovery process.

Contact the Survivors Trust.
Find help specifically for young people with Survivors UK.
Find a rape crisis centre on the Rape Crisis website.
There is support for women, help for men, and more at Refuge.

Could I Claim Compensation For Rape Or Sexual Assault?

As mentioned earlier in this article, rape and sexual assault claims are typically made through the Criminal Injury Compensation Authority (CICA). You will generally need to do this within 2 years of the incident of sexual assault. Preferably, the claim should be made as close to the date of the incident as possible.

You’ll also need to report the incident to the police before you can approach the CICA. The police will supply you with a case reference number. If you don’t have a case reference number, you won’t be able to make a claim.

The assailant who attacked you does not need to be charged for you to make a claim through the CICA. They don’t even need to be caught. However, you will be expected to cooperate with the police in their investigation.

The money also comes directly from the government, not from the assailant. This is because there is no guarantee that the perpetrator will have the necessary personal funds to cover the compensation. That is if they are even apprehended at all.

Different injuries or incidents are assigned a monetary value in compensation by the CICA. They have their own tariff of injuries. You can be awarded more than one amount if you have suffered more than one injury. However, only the most valuable one is awarded at a full 100% rate. After that, the second and third most valuable are then awarded at rates of 30% and 15% respectively.

Compensation can be withheld entirely for reasons such as making a dishonest claim, or the inability to present any evidence.

Other Payments

There are certain occurrences that can be compensated at full value regardless of the other amounts awarded; for example, the loss of a foetus due to an attack. Additionally, you may have contracted a sexually transmitted infection such as gonorrhoea or HIV.

Judicial College Guidelines (JCG)

In some instances, the defendant may be identified and known to have the personal funds available to compensate their victims. This, however, is less common. Although, if this were to be the case, the claim would not be made through the CICA.

The claim would be made directly against the defendant. The figure would also not be a set fee. It would be calculated in the same way as compensation awarded under personal injury law. Legal professionals could use a publication called the Judicial College Guidelines to assist in this calculation. The amount awarded can sometimes be much higher than it would be if you claim through the CICA.

Calculating Compensation Payouts For Sexual Assault And Rape

In this section, we have included some example entries from the CICA’s tariff of injuries. This way, you should gain a better understanding of how certain injuries are valued when claiming in this way.

Awarded For	Description	Amount
Sexual assault where the victim is any age (but not already compensated as a child)	Minor: sexual act(s) over clothing, non-penetrative	£1,000
Sexual assault where the victim is any age (but not already compensated as a child)	Serious: sexual act(s) under clothing, non-penetrative	£2,000
Sexual assault where the victim is any age (but not already compensated as a child)	Severe - oral/genital acts, non-penile penetration	£3,300
Sexual assault where the victim is any age (but not already compensated as a child)	Pattern of repetitive abuse of a severe nature for up to 3 years	£6,600
Sexual assault where the victim is any age (but not already compensated as a child)	Pattern of repetitive abuse of a severe nature for 3 years or more	£8,200
Sexual assault where the victim is any age (but not already compensated as a child)	Causes serious internal bodily injuries	£22,000
Sexual assault where the victim is any age (but not already compensated as a child)	Causing lasting, moderate mental illness of a disabling nature	£22,000
Sexual assault where the victim is any age (but not already compensated as a child)	Causing lasting, severe mental illness of a disabling nature	£27,000
Sexual assault where the victim is any age (but not already compensated as a child)	Penile penetration of the vagina, anus or mouth without consent by just 1 attacker	£11,000
Sexual assault where the victim is any age (but not already compensated as a child)	Penile penetration of the vagina, anus or mouth without consent by 2 or more attackers	£13,500
Sexual assault where the victim is any age (but not already compensated as a child)	Penile penetration of the vagina, anus or mouth that results in serious internal bodily injuries	£22,000

There is also the possibility of being reimbursed for certain losses that have taken place because of your injuries. This sum is known as special expenses. However, this can be quite restrictive

You can also claim for a loss of earnings due to being unable to work because of your injuries. The loss of earnings compensation would run from the 29th week of being unable to work.

The Benefits Of Working With A No Win No Fee Solicitor

It’s possible to cover your solicitor’s fees under a No Win No Fee arrangement. This is when you are not required to pay your lawyer their fee unless they are successful in aiding you in being awarded compensation.

If your claim is unsuccessful, you do not have to pay any lawyer’s fee at all. All of the lawyers on our panel work with their clients in this way. A No Win No Fee agreement reduces the financial risk to you when making a claim with the help of a lawyer.

More Information About Sexual Assault Statistics

Here are some links to additional resources that may help you.

For those in need of help after rape and sexual assault.
Find out more about Supportline – a charity for emotional support.
Support for victims of rape and sexual assault from the police.

We also have some other guides you may find useful:

Thank you for reading our guide on sexual assault statistics.