If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this survey, help is available from the following national helplines or from local/regional helplines which you can find in the Background Notes.
Of those aged 18-24 who experienced contact sexual violence as a child, 73% reported that a child (person under 18) was the perpetrator. The equivalent figure for those aged 65 and over was 17%.
A quarter (25%) of women experienced non-contact sexual violence as a child, compared with 16% of men.
One in ten (10%) men reported that they were made to look at unwanted pornographic material when they were a child.
Bisexual people reported over double the level (49%) of non-contact sexual violence as a child compared with heterosexual/straight people (20%).
Those with a third level education reported experiencing unwanted sexual touching as a child at almost double the rate (20%) than those with a primary level of education only (11%).
Women were three times more likely to experience unwanted sexual intercourse as a child (7%) compared with men (2%).
Of adults who experienced contact sexual violence as a child, 32% experienced it in a public place/outdoors.
Overall, the vast majority of perpetrators of child sexual violence were male. Over nine in ten adults (91%) who experienced non-contact sexual violence as a child and almost nine in ten adults (88%) who experienced contact sexual violence as a child reported that the perpetrator was male.
The data for the survey was collected between May and December 2022. For the data collection phase, the survey was known as the “Safety of the Person” survey in accordance with ethical guidelines to ensure a graduated introduction to the survey and to better ensure the personal safety of respondents who may be in an ongoing abusive relationship. To ensure that a wide range of respondents could engage with the survey, a range of data collection modes were used: secure web form, self-completion facilitated by an interviewer, and a paper form. Despite the sensitive nature of the survey, more than 4,500 respondents took part. An FAQ for the survey is available.
Sexual violence as a child is defined as a range of unwanted experiences, from non-contact experiences to unwanted sexual intercourse. Unwanted sexual intercourse is defined as sexual intercourse where the child was persuaded, made to or forced into having sex. See Background Notes for further details. In addition, where the word “reported” is used in this publication it means that the person told the CSO as part of this survey.
Comparing the results of sensitive surveys like the SVS to other surveys or the results from other countries can be very challenging. Comparability between surveys on similar topics must take into consideration several factors, such as differences between definitions of variables over time and between countries, how the survey is introduced or collected, etc. For further information, see the Introduction to the publication and the Background Notes.
A presentation outlining the key points in the publication is available on the CSO website. Please visit the Publication Briefing page to view the recording and download the presentation slides.
Learn about our data and confidentiality safeguards, and the steps we take to produce statistics that can be trusted by all.
Statistician's Comment
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) today (22 June 2023) released Sexual Violence Survey 2022 – Childhood Experiences.
Commenting on the results, Helen McGrath, Statistician in the Social Analysis Section, said:
“Today’s publication builds on the recent publication of the Sexual Violence Survey 2022 – Main Results. In that report, we highlighted the prevalence of sexual violence in Ireland and found that four in ten adults reported experiencing sexual violence over their lifetime while 29% of adults experienced sexual violence as a child. This report provides greater detail on child sexual violence experiences and provides additional information on the sociodemographic breakdowns of the overall prevalence levels.
These publications are derived from the Sexual Violence Survey (SVS) which was conducted in 2022. The objective of the survey was to provide high quality national prevalence data on sexual violence in Ireland which will act as a new baseline for the levels of sexual violence in Ireland. In the survey, sexual violence as a child is defined as a range of unwanted experiences, from non-contact experiences to unwanted sexual intercourse. The child sexual violence experiences cover those which occurred under the age of consent in Ireland (under 17 years). These experiences are not described as “non-consensual” as these individuals were under the age of consent at the time, hence the use of the term “unwanted”. The word ‘violence’ is sometimes associated with the use of force. However, as outlined in the Luxembourg Guidelines, which is a set of guidelines to harmonise terms on childhood sexual violence and abuse, ‘violence’ can also mean an event that had a marked or powerful effect on someone. The experiences detailed in this publication range across a variety of experiences up to and including those which result in the most serious violations of personal dignity.
We appreciate that behind the data in today’s publication are a range of individual stories, which speak to the lived experience of those who have, and those who have not, experienced sexual violence. The publication today presents greater additional insight on the prevalence and patterns of sexual violence for those who have experienced it as a child.
Childhood Experiences
Childhood experiences cover those which occurred under the age of consent in Ireland (17 years) which were shared in the survey by respondents who were aged 18 or over. Almost three in ten adults (29%) experienced sexual violence as a child and there is a clear difference between the sexes. Women reported experiencing it (36%) at a higher level than men (22%).
Please note that the demographic characteristics provided are based on the information given by the respondent when the survey was collected, and so may not necessarily accord with their demographic profile when the sexual violence took place. For example, they may have had a lower educational level when the sexual violence occurred but have a higher educational level now when engaging with the survey.
Looking at the experiences of sexual violence as a child by sociodemographic characteristics (educational attainment, sexual orientation, marital status, disability status and ethnicity), we can see different patterns for certain cohorts of the population. For example, adults with a third level education (33%) were over twice as likely as those with up to a primary education (14%) to report having experienced sexual violence as a child. People with a disability experienced sexual violence as a child at a higher rate (35%) than those without a disability (26%). Bisexuals and gay/lesbian people reported higher levels of sexual violence as a child (58% and 39% respectively) than heterosexual/straight people (28%).
Non-Contact Experiences
Unwanted non-contact sexual violence experiences include being shown pornographic material, being asked or made to pose in a sexually suggestive manner for photographs, having someone expose themselves or someone masturbating in front of them when they were a child. One in four (25%) women experienced non-contact sexual violence as a child. This was higher than the rate for men (16%).
Those who were “White - Irish Traveller/Roma/other white background” reported experiencing non-contact sexual violence as a child (24%) at a higher rate than those who were “Asian or Asian Irish” (16%).
One in ten men (10%) were shown pornographic material as a child when they did not want to see it, compared with the equivalent rate for women of 7%. Women were over three times more likely to have someone physically expose themselves to them when they were a child (20%) than men (6%).
Over half of women (55%) who experienced non-contact sexual violence as a child reported that an adult (18 and older) was the perpetrator. The equivalent rate for men was 36%. More than nine in ten adults (91%) who experienced non-contact sexual violence as a child reported that the perpetrator was male.
Contact Experiences
Unwanted contact sexual violence 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. Women experienced contact sexual violence as a child (26%) at over double the rate for men (12%). Women were also three times more likely to experience unwanted sexual intercourse as a child (7%) compared with men (2%).
Those with a third level education reported experiencing unwanted sexual touching as a child at almost double the rate (20%) than those with a primary or below level of education only (11%).
Almost three quarters (73%) of those aged 18-24 who experienced contact sexual violence as a child reported that a child (person under 18) was the perpetrator. This consists of the 4% who identified that it was a child (0-12 years old) and the 69% who identified that it was an adolescent (13-17 years old). The equivalent figure for those aged 65 years and over was 17%.
Almost nine in ten adults (88%) who experienced contact sexual violence as a child reported that the perpetrator was male.
Three in ten adults (32%) who experienced contact sexual violence as a child experienced it in a public place/outdoors.
Appreciation
The CSO would like to thank everyone who took part in this survey. We are extremely conscious that this survey was very sensitive. We are very appreciative of the trust respondents put in us in terms of our conduct of the survey and in how we will protect the confidentiality of their experiences. Each person who engaged with this survey has helped the CSO to present a clear picture of the prevalence of sexual violence in Ireland.
We would also like to thank the 500 or so respondents who indicated that they had not disclosed any of their sexual violence experience(s) to anyone, but these respondents did feel comfortable enough to share their experience with the CSO. We are grateful to those people for placing their trust in us, to all those who took part in the survey, and everyone who contributed to this project.”