:format():fill())
What is sexual abuse of older people?
The sexual abuse of older people is any behaviour of a sexual nature, done without their consent. This includes physical interactions and non-contact acts of a sexual nature.
It may be:
Non-consensual sexual contact, language, or behaviour
Enforced nudity
Cleaning or treating the older person’s genital area roughly or inappropriately
Unwanted exposure to pornographic material
Any behaviour that makes an older person feel uncomfortable about their body, gender, or sexual identity
1% of older people reported experiencing this form of abuse in the last 12 months.1
More older women reported sexual abuse than men in the last 12 months as noted in the National Elder Abuse Prevalence Study.2
The most frequently reported form of sexual abuse was being spoken to in a sexual way when this was unwelcome (76.5%).3 Nearly a third of the sexual abuse reported consisted of being touched in a sexual way against the participant’s will (32.2%), while forced sexual acts accounted for 15.9%.4
:format():fill())
:format():fill())
:format():fill())
:format():fill())
:format():fill())
:format():fill())
:format():fill())
:format():fill())
:format():fill())
:format():fill())
:format():fill())
:format():fill())
All comments are moderated. Please visit our terms of use for guidance on how to engage with our community.