6.2 Child sexual assault

These data capture children who were recorded by the police as victims of sexual assault. These offences may have been reported by a victim, witness or other person, or they may have been detected by police. The data do not provide a total picture of victims, as not all crimes are reported to police; nor do all incidents which are reported to police get recorded as a crime. In particular, children may feel intimidated and reluctant to report personal crimes if the perpetrator is known to them or in a position of power.

Trend data: For all indicator displays, the yearly trend is limited to indicators with 3 or more years (including the current year) of comparable time series data. To see the trend click on “Yearly Trend” button on the display. Where 3 or more years of comparable data including the most recent year is not available, a “No time series data” message is shown on the display.

The first figure is a bar graph showing the rate of children and young people aged 0–14 who were recorded victims of sexual assault by age group, Indigenous status and sex. Data can be selected by year from 2010 to 2020.

The second figure is a line graph showing the rate of children and young people aged 0–14 who were recorded victims of sexual assault from 2010 to 2020. Data can be selected by age group, Indigenous status or sex.

Source: AIHW analysis of Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Recorded crime: victims, Australia.

See the supplementary data tables for further information and footnotes about these data.

Indicator technical specifications

The information below provides technical specifications for the summary indicator data presented in the quick reference guide.

National Framework Indicator 6.2 Child Sexual Assault: Rate of children aged 0-14 years who have been the victim of sexual assault
  Definition Data source
Numerator Number of children aged 0–14 years who were the victim of sexual assault in the reference period ABS Recorded Crime—Victims data collection
Denominator Number of children aged 0–14 years at 30 June AIHW Population Database (sourced from ABS Australian Demographic Statistics)

Explanatory notes

The recorded crime statistics relate to victims of a selected range of offences that police have recorded. These offences may have been reported by a victim, witness or other person, or they may have been detected by police. The statistics do not provide a total picture of crime, as not all crimes are reported to police, nor do all incidents which are reported to police get recorded as a crime. These data are not designed to provide counts of total number of victims—victims may be double-counted where multiple offences have occurred.

The reported level of crime that children and young people experience is likely to be underestimated as children, in particular, may feel intimidated and reluctant to report personal crimes if the perpetrator is known to them or in a position of power.

ABS also advises care in interpreting police statistics as fluctuations in recorded crime may be a reflection of changes in community attitudes in reporting crime, changes in police procedures or changes in crime reporting systems, rather than a change in the incidence of criminal behaviour.

The COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting Australian Government closure of the international border from 20 March 2020, caused significant disruptions to the usual Australian population trends. This report uses Australian Estimated Resident Population (ERP) estimates that reflect these disruptions.

Accordingly, in the year July 2020 to June 2021, the overall population growth was much smaller than the years prior and in particular, there was a relatively large decline in the population of Victoria. ABS reporting indicates these were primarily due to net-negative international migration (National, state and territory population, June 2021 | Australian Bureau of Statistics (abs.gov.au)).

Please be aware that this change in the usual population trends may complicate your interpretation of statistics calculated from these ERPs. For example, rates and proportions may be greater than in previous years due to decreases in the denominator (population size) of some sub-populations.