What is a sexual offence?
What is a sexual offence?
Sexual offences can happen to anyone. Often they are not reported to police because victim/survivors feel scared, ashamed and confused. Sexual assault is never the victim’s ‘fault’.
Sexual offences include crimes listed in the Crimes Act 1958 (Vic) (‘Crimes Act’).
Sexual offences include rape, sexual assault, threat to commit a sexual assault, incest, and sexual offences committed against children and people with a cognitive impairment or mental illness.
When interpreting sexual offences in the Crimes Act, it is the intention of parliament that courts have regard to the facts that:
- there is a high incidence of sexual violence within society;
- sexual offences are significantly under‑reported;
- a significant number of sexual offences are committed against women, children and other vulnerable persons including persons with a cognitive impairment or mental illness;
- sexual offenders are commonly known to their victims; and
- often, there are no physical signs that an offence has occurred (see s 37B Crimes Act).
