Sex assault reports up 60pc in a month as victims speak out

Reports of sexual assault skyrocket across parts of NSW as thousands of young women report historic incidents of abuse.

The NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research director Jackie Fitzgerald says an increase in reporting of sex assaults is a response to awareness driven by activists such as Brittany Higgins.

Reports of sexual assault have more than doubled across parts of Sydney as new crime statistics suggest thousands of young women are prepared to come forward to report historic cases of abuse.

New data published by the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research shows that reports of sexual assault increased by 61 per cent above the monthly ­average in March this year, with parts of Sydney, including the eastern suburbs and the inner west, recording increases of almost 70 per cent.

In the state’s BOCSAR report, Why did Sexual Assault Reports Spike in March 2021?, director Jackie Fitzgerald says the rise was both sharp and uncharacteristic, with police recording 973 cases of sexual assault across the state in March alone – 300 more than in February.

BOCSAR has explained the ­increase as a clear response to the greater media coverage and public discussion of rape and consent driven by activists such as Brittany Higgins, Chanel Contos and Australian of the Year Grace Tame.

“The increase appears to be due to a temporary rise in victim willingness to formally report sexual violence,” Ms Fitzgerald said.

“The timing of the increase closely aligns with saturation media coverage of numerous sexual assault allegations in late February and March 2021. This triggered a widespread community conversation about sexual violence and consent of a scale not previously seen.”

The report indicates that sexual assaults, involving victims aged 13 to 20, accounted for two thirds of the increase, with the vast majority involving females.

Ms Fitzgerald said the spike in reported incidents was remarkable, adding that preliminary April data suggested reports have since fallen.

“The rise in sexual assault reports was as much to do with an ­increase in recent contemporary assaults as it was related to reports of historical offences,” she said.

“Typically only around 10 per cent or 15 per cent of adult sexual assault victims report to police. The March 2021 increase shows that, under the right conditions, more victims will come forward.

“More needs to be done to make sure that victims who reach out are appropriately supported.”

Publication of the report follows new data from the 2021 Australia Talks National Survey, which revealed a significant rise in the proportion of people “who ­believe survivors”, with 55 per cent of Australians now agreeing that sexual assault allegations are ­“almost always truthful”.

The 2021 results show a rise of more than 14 per cent since the same survey was last conducted in 2019 – the year in which Ms Tame first spoke publicly about her ­experiences of sexual assault, and the state laws which prevent her from self-identifying.

Of the 17 major crime categories, sexual assault and domestic violence related assault remain the only offences trending upwards, with other offences, including car theft, house break-ins and robberies, continuing to decline.

BOCSAR attributes the decrease reported in many offences as representing the broader fall in crime associated with the response to the pandemic in 2020.

However, since April last year, violent offending has returned to pre-pandemic levels, with many property offences, including car theft, break-and-enter and retail theft remaining below pre-pandemic levels.