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Academic resources
Here you will find some facts on sexual assault, barriers to reporting and links to some academic articles.
Facts about sexual assault
Less than 40 per cent of the women who experience violence seek help of any sort. Fewer than 10 per cent of those seeking help reported to the police (UN Women, 2023)
Of the 107,403 female victims of sexual assault recorded by Australian police between 2014 and 2019, 73% were sexually assaulted by a known person (ABS, 2021)
Women who were encouraged to report by informal supports were the most likely to report the assaults committed against them (Paul et al, 2014)
About half of all sexual assaults involve alcohol consumption either by the survivor, the perpetrator, or both (Handbook of Sexual Assault and Sexual Assault Prevention)
There is evidence survivors internalise the blame associated with sexual assault, leading to feelings of shame and self-blame, which also contribute to psychological distress (Handbook of Sexual Assault and Sexual Assault Prevention)
68% of non-reporting survivors did not report because they believed the assault was not serious enough (Handbook of Sexual Assault and Sexual Assault Prevention)
Academic articles
These are some articles and statistics available for free.
Rape myths: In review
Theories of sexual aggression and victimization have increasingly emphasized the role of rape myths in the perpetuation of sexual assault. Rape myths are attitudes and generally false beliefs about rape that are widely and persistently held, and that serve to deny and justify male sexual aggression against women.
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