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Sexual Assault Reports On The Rise In Queensland

The number of sexual assault victims in Queensland has increased for a fifth consecutive year, new data shows.
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The number of Queenslanders reporting sexual assaults has increased for a fifth consecutive year, new data has revealed.

The state's Domestic and Family Violence Minister Shannon Fentiman has told parliament the rate of reported sexual assault had increased by 24 per cent since 2011, according to recent Australian Bureau of Statistics figures.

Figures show 4349 cases were reported to Queensland's authorities in 2016, compared to 4199 in the previous year.

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Women or girls accounted for four out of five victims, or 3570 people, and more than half were aged between 10 and 19, while victims aged up to 14 made up 55 per cent of male victims.

A majority of the assaults took place at residential locations, and in more than two-thirds of cases the offender was known to the victim.

Ms Fentiman said the government had invested funds to establish new sexual assault services across the state, including Toowoomba, Redlands, Ipswich and Mount Isa.

Additional services are slated for Roma and north of Brisbane.

National domestic violence helpline: 1800 737 732 or 1800RESPECT.

In an emergency call triple-zero.

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