Two-in-three women say they have suffered some kind of sexual violence in their lives

Just over two-in-three women (67.3%) have reported suffering some kind of sexual violence throughout their lives, with 15.5% reporting it happened in the last year, according to the Survey of Sexual Violence in Catalonia 2024, based on 8,621 interviews.

However, only 6% of those ended up reporting the aggressions they suffered.

In addition, the study has found a notable increase in online abuse: one in four women say they have received such violence since the age of 15.

Catalonia's Interior Minister, Núria Parlon, said these data demonstrate the "structural and continuous" nature of the problem and has announced that the survey will incorporate new analyses such as the perception of men or the experiences of women before the age of 15.

Parlon praised the work done behind this study and remarked that it is "much more than a collection of data," because "it is a fundamental tool for understanding the phenomenon of sexual violence and at the same time an instrument of recognition and reparation for the women who participate in it."

She pointed out that 90% of those surveyed have positively assessed the experience.

Parlon explained that the 8,621 respondents, all over the age of 16, were contacted randomly. In addition, ten group meetings were held with around 60 people from different regions, ages and socioeconomic profiles, with the aim of gathering diverse perspectives and deepening the understanding of the reality analyzed.

“Sexual violence is persistent and conditions the lives and perception of security of most women,” the minister added. 

A vast majority, 80.4%, of women who suffered sexual violence in the past year experienced two or more episodes, and almost 10% stated that the events had been ongoing over time.

The most vulnerable age group is that of young women aged between 16-24 years old, of whom 45.6% have acknowledged having suffered sexual violence. The prevalence decreases progressively with age.

Online abuse has seen a notable growth in this year's survey. Examples include the sharing of intimate images or videos, or offensive comments made online.

"They are a new face of an old problem," said Parlon, adding that "gender violence is a negative energy that is not destroyed, but rather transformed."