Aussie state’s ‘deeply disturbing’ sexual assault stats

Sexual assault cases in one Australian state have risen dramatically in the last two years, as experts scramble to figure out the reason behind it.

Sexual assault cases in the state of New South Wales have risen dramatically in the last two years, as experts scramble to figure out the reason behind these horrific statistics.

NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research revealed between March 2023 and March 2025 sexual assault reports rose 6.4 per cent in NSW, making it one of the highest rates of sexual assault in the country.

The spike has also come with an increase of other crimes such as stalking and harassment, domestic violence and intimidation.

This latest data supports what the Australian Bureau of Statistics released last year, that put sexual assault reports in Australia at a 31-year high.

The reason behind the spike is up for debate, but many believe it is a mix of people reporting — thanks to anonymous reporting method Sexual Assault Reporting Option making up 22.8 per cent of reports in the last year — and the frequency of the crime taking place.

Last year, thousands marched to express their anger at violence against women in Australia. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

A rise in people reporting these crimes

Jackie Fitzgerald, Executive Director of BOCSAR, said: “These figures highlight the growing willingness of victims to speak out, supported by more accessible and confidential reporting pathways.”

Experts in the field, such as Sarah Williams, the founder and CEO of What Were You Wearing, have weighed in on the spike in reported sexual assaults.

“I am not surprised at all. It is concerning, but there are a few different reasons for why. The more there has been things such as our rallies and organisations like ours actually talking about these issues and getting rid of the taboo nature of sexual assault, people are probably feeling more comfortable to report,” Ms Williams told news.com.au.

“Which means we can then sometimes see an increase — so it doesn’t always mean that it is happening more.”

However, at the same time, Ms Williams hears from victim-survivors essentially every day about what is happening to them. This points to a very real concern about the rate of sexual assault and harassment.

Ms Williams said there has been a societal shift of people realising things aren’t OK, and calling out bad behaviours, yet at the same time sexual assault is one of the few crimes on the rise in Australia.

She also pointed out that the rise in public figures such as Andrew Tate make misogynistic content readily available to the world, including teenagers, empowering sexism, violence and misogyny.

“You have shows such as Adolescence, which was really good, but then you think about it now and no one talks about it anymore,” she said.

She said even when WWYW posted a TikTok, it sometimes lands on the wrong For You Page and it will be filled with comments tearing down women — a sign to Ms Williams that not enough prevention is being done.

“You’ve got to meet people where they’re at — where are men? We’re about to start doing talks in schools, so that area is covered, but what about people between the ages of 40 to 60,” she asked.

“Where can you meet them? The NRL, State of Origin, the AFL?”

Still one of Australia’s most under-reported crimes

She said it would be “awesome” to see places such as this take up the mantle for women’s rights.

Sexual assault is one of the most under-reported crimes in Australia, and Ms Williams said this is due to a variety of reasons.

“One of them is the fear of not being believed, dismissed, interrogate or accused of lying. Victim blaming is at highest, and is one of the biggest drivers — in my opinion — of low reporting,” she said.

Ms Williams also said that many victim-survivors feel as though law enforcement retraumatises them, and that we need “trauma informed” training for police. This is compounded with a lack of trust in the court system, with just seven per cent of sexual assaults reported in New South Wales ending in a guilty verdict.

Sarah Williams, the founder and CEO of What Were You Wearing.

Shame, guilt and self-blame are also factors when it comes to under-reporting, as well as lack of education on trauma responses such as “freezing” — with Ms Williams saying the first time we learn about these things shouldn’t be “afterwards with a counsellor” and should be part of sexual assault education.

‘Deeply disturbing statistics’

A spokesperson from Teach Us Consent told news.com.au that the statistics were “deeply disturbing but not surprising”.

“While reported rates of sexual assault are at an all-time high, these statistics are still likely to be a serious underestimate of the reality because there are so many barriers to reporting,” the spokesperson said.

“These figures paint a concerning picture about the experiences of predominantly women across NSW – not only about sexual violence but gendered violence at large.

“There’s something to be said when, during a time where the cost of living is so high, that incidents of theft from retail stores are rising at a slower rate than that of sexual assault.”

The spokesperson added that without further research it is hard to determine the reason behind the increased figure, adding that SARO and accurate education about what actually constitutes sexual violence helps people recognise and report incidents.

“For incidents of sexual violence to genuinely decline, we must address the attitudes, behaviours and life experiences that cause it. Consent education is absolutely fundamental to achieving this,” the spokesperson said.

Experts have revealed possible reasons for the spike. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

“Last month, Teach Us Consent launched over 100 freely available resources for young people to access content made by and for young people to get confident with consent, sex and relationships.”

Meanwhile Karen Bevan, Full Stop Australia’s CEO, did warn that the numbers we are seeing aren’t a true reflection of how many people are impacted by sexual assault.

Ms Bevan said; “Sexual violence in NSW is more serious than even these rising numbers suggest. Most sexual violence is never reported – fewer than 10 per cent of victim survivors report to police, so they aren’t represented in this data.

“We need to grapple with the true scale of this issue and act urgently to increase our prevention efforts, adequately resource for specialist sexual violence support services and take bold steps to improve access to justice for victim-survivors and increase accountability for those who commit these crimes.”

The organisation has put forward a pre-budget submission to the NSW Government for a plot program to help improve the experience of victim-survivors who make it to court — which is just 15 per cent of reported cases.

Ms Williams said that Australians should know that they deserve to heal after what happened to them, reaffirming it is not their fault and support is out there.

Originally published as Aussie state’s ‘deeply disturbing’ sexual assault stats