The shocking data was revealed by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) recently and has spurred calls for increased aid for victims and increased penalties for offenders.
The CSO revealed that 50% of young people aged 18 – 24 were the victims of sexual harassment in 2022.
It also revealed that 15% of young women experienced sexual harassment or innapropriate physical contact in the last 12 months.
50% of men who were sexually harassed did not disclose their experience.
And even more worrying, 3% of adults experienced stalking with the fear or threat of sexual violence.
Despite these revelations, one of the most interesting statistics is how differently these problems are percieved by men and women.
86% of women believe sexual violence is common against women, while 72% of men believed it was common. 53% of women believed that sexual violence was common against men, while only 31% believed the same.
The CSO also found that younger people were more aware of the prevalence of sexual harassment and violence in society, which may be due to higher levels of education and awareness on the subject.
