Sexual Violence Survey 2022 – Disclosure of Experiences

Sexual violence experienced as a child and details on disclosure

The disclosure of sexual violence which was experienced as a child is the focus of this chapter. When we refer to disclosure to someone in the following text it refers to having told one person or many persons or an organisation/group. The statistics quoted in this chapter relate to those who reported experiencing sexual violence as a child and do not relate to the overall population of adults in Ireland. 

Sexual violence as a child is defined as a range of unwanted experiences from non-contact experiences to contact experiences. Unwanted sexual non-contact experiences include being shown pornographic material, being asked to pose in a sexually suggestive manner for photographs, having someone expose themselves or someone masturbating in front of a child. Unwanted sexual contact experiences include sexual touching (where the respondent as a child was touched in a sexual way or made to touch somebody else in a sexual way), unwanted sexual intercourse, unwanted attempted sexual intercourse or another not-specified sexual contact that was attempted. See the Background Notes for further details.

Overall, women (47%) reported higher levels of disclosure of an experience of childhood sexual violence than men (25%). People aged 55-64 had the highest level of disclosure rates (42%), with those aged 25-34 having the lowest (34%). Over one in five adults (21%) who disclosed an experience of childhood sexual violence did so because they wanted to get help for themselves. Almost four in 10 adults (38%) indicated that they did not disclose an experience of childhood sexual violence as they thought what happened was not serious enough. For those who did disclose an experience of childhood sexual violence, they were most likely to disclose to someone less than 6 months after the experience (46%) and most likely to disclose to a family member (45%).

One in four men who experienced sexual violence as a child disclosed to someone

Key findings for those who experienced sexual violence as a child by whether they ever disclosed a childhood sexual violence experience:

• One in four men (25%) who experienced sexual violence as a child disclosed to someone. This was almost half the disclosure rate of women (47%). See Figure 7.1 and Table 7.1.
• Nationally, almost 4 in 10 adults (39%) reported that they disclosed an experience of childhood sexual violence.
• Those aged 55-64 who experienced sexual violence as a child were more likely to disclose (42%) than those aged 25-34 (34%).

Three in 10 of those aged 18-24 who experienced sexual violence as a child disclosed because they wanted to get help for themselves

Key findings for those who experienced sexual violence as a child and disclosed, by the reasons for disclosure:

• Three in 10 (30%) of those aged 18-24 who experienced sexual violence as a child disclosed because they wanted to get help for themselves, compared with 12% for those aged 55-64 and those aged 65 and over. See Table 7.2.
• Overall, 21% of adults who experienced sexual violence as a child identified that they disclosed as they wanted to get help for themselves. Women were more likely (23%) than men (13%) to select this. See Figure 7.2.
• Almost one in five (18%) adults who experienced sexual violence as a child disclosed because they were afraid that the perpetrator(s) might do it again. For those aged 18-24 who experienced sexual violence as a child and disclosed, 10% identified that they did so because they were afraid that the perpetrator(s) might do it again compared with 28% of those aged 55-64.
• Almost two in 10 (18%) of those aged 18-24 who experienced sexual violence as a child indicated that it was an accidental disclosure compared with one in 10 (10%) of those aged 65 and over.
• Those aged 18-24 who experienced sexual violence as a child were less likely to indicate someone else disclosed (9%) than those aged 65 and over (22%).

Almost four in 10 women who experienced sexual violence as a child did not disclose because they felt ashamed or embarrassed

Key findings for those who experienced sexual violence as a child and did not disclose, by the reasons for not disclosing:

• Almost four in 10 (37%) women who experienced sexual violence as a child did not disclose because they felt ashamed or embarrassed. Men were less likely to have felt this (19%). Overall, almost three in 10 (29%) adults who experienced sexual violence as a child identified this as a reason they did not disclose. See Figure 7.3 and Table 7.3.
• Conversely, for men who experienced sexual violence as a child and did not disclose, they were most likely to identify that they thought that what happened was not serious enough (42%). The equivalent figure for women was 34%. Please note that the definition of sexual violence as a child includes non-contact experiences as well as contact experiences.
• Women who experienced sexual violence as a child were more likely to indicate that they did not disclose because they did not know who to turn to (15%) compared with men (9%). Similarly, women were also more likely to indicate that they did not disclose because they were afraid of their family’s reaction (19%) compared with men (11%).
• For adults who experienced sexual violence as a child, 2% indicated that they did not disclose because they were under the influence of alcohol or drugs when it happened.
• For adults who experienced sexual violence as a child, the most frequently chosen reason for not disclosing was that they thought that what happened was not serious enough (38%).
• Those aged 25-34 who experienced sexual violence as a child were over three times more likely to indicate that they did not disclose because they blamed themselves for what happened (13%) compared with those aged 65 and over (4%).

Almost half of adults who experienced sexual violence as a child, and who disclosed, disclosed to someone less than 6 months after the experience

Key findings for those who experienced sexual violence as a child and disclosed, by how long it took to first disclose:

• Almost half of adults (46%) who experienced sexual violence as a child and disclosed, did so less than 6 months after the experience. The equivalent figures for men and women were similar at 45% and 47%, respectively (who disclosed less than 6 months after the experience). See Table 7.4.
• If adults who experienced sexual violence as a child and disclosed, did not disclose less than 6 months after the experience, they were then more likely to disclose more than 5 years after the experience (30%).
• Those aged 18-24 who experienced sexual violence as a child were more likely to disclose in less than 6 months after the experience (56%) than those aged 65 and over (35%).
• Those aged 65 and over who experienced sexual violence as a child were more likely to disclose more than 5 years after the experience (41%) than those aged 18-24 (10%).

Two thirds of those aged 18-24 who experienced sexual violence as a child disclosed to a friend first

Key findings for those who experienced sexual violence as a child and disclosed, by who they disclosed to first:

• Two thirds of those aged 18-24 (66%) who experienced sexual violence as a child and disclosed, disclosed an experience of childhood sexual violence to a friend first. This compared with 16% of those aged 65 and over who told a friend first. See Table 7.5.
• Women who experienced sexual violence as a child were more likely to disclose to a family member first (48%) than men (36%).
• Conversely, men who experienced sexual violence as a child were more likely to disclose to a friend first (43%) than women (33%).
• Those aged 65 and over who experienced sexual violence as a child were over twice as likely to disclose an experience of childhood sexual violence to a family member (60%) than those aged 18-24 (23%). See Figure 7.4.
• Nationally, 4% of adults who experienced sexual violence as a child identified that they disclosed a childhood sexual violence experience to a psychologist/counsellor first, twice the rate for disclosing to the police first (2%).