Sexual Violence Survey 2022 – Disclosure of Experiences

Sexual violence experienced as an adult and use of services

This chapter looks at the use of services by those who experienced sexual violence as an adult. This covers experiences which occurred over the age of consent in Ireland (17 years) and is based on replies from those aged 18 and over. In the survey, the type of services that could be used by someone who experienced sexual violence are grouped in general categories, for example, using a medical service, support service, etc. Due to the low number of survey observations, it is not possible to provide detail on the helpfulness of all services so only data relating to the helpfulness of the support service can be provided (in Table 6.2).

Sexual violence as an adult is defined as a range of non-consensual experiences, from non-consensual sexual touching to non-consensual sexual intercourse. See the Background Notes for further details.

Please note that the statistics quoted in this chapter relate to those who reported experiencing sexual violence as an adult and do not relate to the overall population of adults in Ireland.

Overall, almost eight in 10 (79%) of those who experienced sexual violence as an adult did not use a service, with 7% of those who experienced sexual violence as an adult using a support service following their experience. A support service includes any services providing counselling or psychological support. Most adults (85%) who experienced sexual violence as an adult, who used a support service, identified that it was helpful. The reasons why those who experienced sexual violence as an adult did not use a service were diverse. The most frequently selected reason was that they thought it was not serious enough with over half of adults (59%) indicating this. Over one in five adults (21%) did not use a service because they felt ashamed or embarrassed, while 15% did not use a service because they were under the influence of alcohol or drugs when the sexual violence experience happened.

Almost eight in 10 of those who experienced sexual violence as an adult did not use a service

Key findings for those who experienced sexual violence as an adult and whether they used a service:

• Overall, most adults who experienced sexual violence as an adult did not use a service (79%), with very little difference between men (80%) and women (79%) in this respect. See Table 6.1. A service includes medical, counselling, social worker services, etc.
• A support service (such as counselling or psychological support) was the most frequently chosen service for use, with 7% who experienced sexual violence as an adult using it. This compared with 3% of adults who used a medical service and 1% and who used a social worker.
• Women who experienced sexual violence as an adult were more likely use a support service (8%) compared with men (5%).
• Those aged 18-24 and 25-34 who experienced sexual violence as an adult were more likely to use a support service (10%) than those aged 65 and over (4%).

Over eight in 10 adults who experienced sexual violence as an adult and used a support service found it helpful

Key findings for those who experienced sexual violence as an adult and used a support service by whether they felt it was helpful:

• Most adults who experienced sexual violence as an adult and who used a support service identified that it was helpful (85%). See Table 6.2. A support service includes any services providing counselling or psychological support.
• The majority of women who experienced sexual violence as an adult and used a support service identified that it was helpful (83%).
• Due to the low number of survey observations for men who experienced sexual violence as an adult and used a support service, data on how helpful the support service was for men cannot be provided.

Almost three quarters of those aged 18-24 who experienced sexual violence as an adult did not use a service because they thought what happened to them was not serious enough

Key findings for those who experienced sexual violence as an adult by the reasons why they did not use a service:

• The majority of those aged 18-24 (72%) who experienced sexual violence as an adult did not use a service because they thought what happened was not serious enough. The equivalent rate for those aged 55-64 was 49%. Overall, almost six in 10 (59%) identified this as a reason for not using a service. See Figure 6.1 and Table 6.3.
• Almost a quarter of women (23%) who experienced sexual violence as an adult indicated that they did not use a service as they felt ashamed or embarrassed, compared with 15% of men.
• Those aged 18-24 who experienced sexual violence as an adult were more likely to indicate that they did not know what service to turn to (11%) than those aged 55-64 (5%).
• Those aged 18-24 who experienced sexual violence as an adult were more likely to indicate that they did not use a service because they were under the influence of alcohol or drugs when it happened (22%) than those aged 65 and over (4%).
• Those aged 25-34 who experienced sexual violence as an adult were over twice as likely to indicate that they did not use a service because they blamed themselves for what happened (20%) than those aged 65 and over (8%). Women were also more likely to identify this as a reason (15%) than men (6%).
• For those who experienced sexual violence as an adult and did not use a service, 5% reported they did not use a service because they were afraid that their family would find out, and 6% reported that they were afraid that the service may have had to report their experience to the police.