More than half of sex offences in 2022 involved victims aged under 18

Figures show that males were both the offender and the victim in over a fifth of detected sexual offences.

In relation to all sex offences, across all ages, 83% of the cases reported in 2022 involved female victims.

More than half of reported sex offences in 2022 involved victims aged under 18, new figures show.

In relation to sex offences that gardaí have detected — where a suspected offender has been identified — a fifth were carried out by people also aged under 18.