Sexual Violence Against Older Women

Sexual violence is not something that only affects young women & girls – it is something that can affect us at any time in our lives.

Working with Dr Hannah Bowes at Durham University, our work has shown that sexual violence affects women of all ages.

Society’s view sexuality for women as something out of our control – something we have no autonomy over. Something that happens to us rather than women being active participants. This allows the social taboo of sex in later life to continue and along with-it further stigma of sexual violence against older women.

During her research, Dr Bowes found that it is a subject that many in our society feel uncomfortable talking about, something that is to be brushed aside, buried, hidden. This only deepens the isolation older survivors can feel.

At least 1 in 6 older people will experience some form of violence and abuse each year. Systematic Review, Yon Et Al. 2017

In the UK this equates to roughly 2 million people.

A large part of the issue, is that sexual violence, along with domestic abuse, aren’t researched as standalone issues. Rather the focus in on the wider issue of ‘elder abuse’ – including neglect of care, mistreatment by care givers. Without research into this issue, we will never truly know the full scale of who has been affected, or how it has impacted women in later life.

Despite being made a criminal act in 1991, many people in Dr Bowes’ research, still did not think that rape within a marriage was illegal. This demonstrates that generational assumptions prevent survivors feeling like they have the right to be supported & believed.

Along with research showing that abuse against older people affects a great number, across every area of our society, the research also demonstrated that as the age of the survivor rose, the age of the perpetrator fell. Showing again what we know to be true – sexual violence is never about sex. It is about power, and control and this information clearly demonstrates the exploitation of some of the most vulnerable in our society.

Rape Crisis Tyneside & Northumberland is here to listen & support, whether sexual violence has occurred recently or decades ago, we are here to believe you, for every woman who has experienced sexual violence in any form, at any time of their lives.