Most victims of sexual violence as a child or adult don't report to Gardaí

More than a third of women (36%) who did not disclose any experience of sexual violence as an adult kept it secret because they felt ashamed or embarrassed – more than twice the rate for men (15%), the CSO data shows. Picture: Anna Gowthorpe/PA Wire

Young adults who have experienced sexual violence are more likely to tell a friend than a family member, statistics show.

Two thirds of people aged 18-24 who have disclosed an experience of sexual violence as an adult have spoken to a friend first, compared with 13% who told a relative first, according to figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO).