'Quite shocking': prevalence of sexual violence rises

The most common forms of sexual violence perpetrated were pressuring someone for dates or sexual activity (3.8%); emotionally or psychologically manipulating someone to participate in sexual activity (2.7%) and non-consensual kissing (2.6%).

The study by the Australian Institute of Criminology (AIC) is based on a survey of more than 5000 Australians aged 18 to 45.

Around 22.1% had perpetrated sexual violence since turning 18 while one in 14 had perpetrated sexual violence in the past 12 months.

The figure was higher for men with 26.4 per cent having admitted to perpetrating sexual violence as an adult compared to 17.7 per cent of women.

Around 16 per cent of respondents reported that they had perpetrated some form of sexual harassment or coercion during adulthood and 7.3 per cent had done so in the past 12 months.

Almost one in five men (18.2%) and a little over one in 10 women (13.9%) had perpetrated sexual harassment or coercion since the age of 18 years.

Around three per cent had perpetrated image-based sexual violence since turning 18 years of age and 2.1 per cent had done so recently.

Men were more likely than women to have engaged in this type of violence (5.1 per cent compared to 1.6 per cent), the report found.

AIC report author Dr Christopher Dowling told ACM the findings filled an "important gap" in research on sexual violence because data was based on "self reporting".

Little contemporary research had examined the self-reported prevalence of sexual violence perpetration in Australia, he said.

"Perpetrators who have contact with the criminal justice system represent only a small proportion of those who have perpetrated sexual violence," he said.

"The vast majority of offences and perpetrators are never reported to police, and attrition rates are high among cases of sexual violence that do come to the attention of police, meaning few actually progress to prosecution and conviction."

Dr Dowling said the percentage of Australians who had committed sexual violence was "quite shocking".

"There is a noticeable percentage perpetuating gender violence and for men there is a greater variety of sexually violent behaviours," he said.

Dr Dowling warned the figures could be higher than reported in the survey.

A relatively large proportion of respondents (11.1%) were unable or unwilling to disclose perpetration of sexual violence for one or more of the questions.

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