CYP Now - Nine in ten female young offenders are victims of abuse, research finds

Almost all female young offenders are likely to have been abused by a family member or someone they trust, research has found.

Campaigners are calling for more support for female victims of trauma. Picture: Adobe Stock

According to a research report as many as nine in ten girls in the criminal justice system, under the age of 18, may have experienced abused.

Just under a third (63 per cent) of young female offenders, aged between 16 and 24 have been victims of rape and/or domestic abuse. In addition, 15 per cent of young women in the same age group have been involved in sex work.

Such trauma is often a factor in young women and girls committing crime, the research by criminal justice campaigners Agenda and Standing Committee for Youth Justice (SCYJ) found.

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