One in six young children have been sexually harassed, survey finds
Joe Lepper
Wednesday, January 18, 2023
A survey has revealed the extent of sexual harassment experienced by young children, with one in six first encountering an incident when they were 10 years old or younger.
Among those surveyed 13.1 per cent said they were aged between six and 10, while 3.7 per cent were aged five or younger, when they first experienced sexual harassment.
The proportion rises to around three in ten among 11- to 13-year-olds and 14–16-year-olds (30.9 per cent).
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The research, published by the charity Crimestoppers and carried out by academics at the University of Suffolk, involved 1,800 adults as young as 18. Almost nine out of ten of those who took part are women.
One in ten women surveyed say they have been raped and just under a quarter said they had been forced to have sex.
“These shocking findings demonstrate that the majority of those who experience sexual harassment encounter it for the first-time during adolescence or childhood,” said Crimestoppers.
“The younger and more vulnerable you are the worse it is,” said one respondent who added that 90 per cent of the “sexual harassment I have experienced in my life happened at school”.
Another said “most sexual harassment I experienced was when I was younger” from the age of 11.
The research found that in almost a quarterof cases the perpetrator was a stranger, while in almost one in eight cases the harassment was carried out by an acquaintance, in particular a school classmate if the incident happened at a young age.
More than three quarters of women surveyed said they were asked unwanted questions about their sex life, while two thirds said they had been leered or stared at.
Meanwhile, more than a third had been followed and just under a quarter have witnessed flashing.
A key message from the research is that sexual harassment “disproportionately happens to younger women and girls, often perpetrated by adult and older men”.
One in six children face unwanted sexual harassment in public before the age of 10.
— Crimestoppers (@CrimestoppersUK) January 17, 2023
A recent survey from @UniofSuffolk, commissioned by our charity, shows the majority of respondents experienced sexual harassment by their teens.
Learn more here: https://t.co/WzdcXRelPG pic.twitter.com/V70ot29VzY
“This research confirms that all forms of sexual harassment begin at a shockingly early age, which is completely unacceptable,” said Crimestoppers violence against women and girls sexual violence lead Lydia Patsalides.
“It raises the question to those men involved: would you accept this behaviour towards those closest to you, such as a partner, female friend, or your daughter?"
She added: “We know this is a difficult and complex area and won’t be solved with one study. However, it’s important that we have a frank and realistic discussion, and we must all play our part in helping change behaviour and think seriously about how sexual harassment affects others.”