This article contains references to sexual violence, including sexual harassment.
Over half of Australian teens aged between 16 and 19 — including almost two-thirds of young women — have experienced sexual harassment, according to a national study for this age group.
The rates of sexual harassment over a 12-month period were proportionately higher than those reported in national surveys capturing Australians aged 18 and over and came from a range of settings — from clubs and parties to places of study.
The report, published by the Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS) this week, prompted concern among researchers and experts in the sector about a lesser-studied age group.
‘It’s happening everywhere’
Dr Neha Swami, lead author and research fellow at AIFS told SBS News: “I think most of the recent focus [on sexual harassment], which is very well-deserved, is among the adult population, in particular at the workplace.”
“This is the first study that actually looks at the younger cohort and says, look, it’s happening everywhere.”
Patty Kinnersly, chief executive of Our Watch, a not-for-profit organisation for the primary prevention of violence against women and their children, said the findings are “shocking”.
“Young people should be able to head out to a nightclub, work, or place of study without fear — but this research shows that the likelihood of them being touched, receiving sexual remarks or being shown a sexually explicit image while at these places is high.”
‘First nationally representative study’ into sexual harassment among under-18s
Sexual harassment refers to when a person behaves in a sexual manner that is unwelcome and makes another person feel intimidated, uncomfortable, degraded or offended, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). It can take different forms, including touching and grabbing, sexual remarks and showing sexually explicit images.
The report is the first Australian evidence from a nationally representative sample on young people’s experience of sexual harassment, including those under 18 years, according to AIFS.
It’s based on data from a broader longitudinal study of thousands of Australian children, called Growing Up in Australia, which started in 2004.
A new report from the AIFS has found 54 per cent of surveyed Australians aged 16-19 had experienced sexual harassment in the past 12 months. Source: SBS News
“We’ve been following over 10,000 babies and toddlers for the past 20 years, asking them about different aspects of their life, including health, relationships, work, education — and things like bullying and harassment at some points in time,” Swami said.
She said sexual harassment came up as an important “predictor or exposure” for many other aspects of young peoples’ lives, prompting a snapshot on this issue.
The report uses data from respondents’ answers in 2016, when they were aged 16-17, and in 2018, when they were 18-19.
“We have this unique opportunity to do this for this age group — and we don’t have any other data … at a national level.”
Young women more likely to experience sexual harassment
According to the report, Australian evidence on the experience of sexual harassment for adolescents and young adults is limited, and available studies are not nationally representative.
Those that do reflect Australian young people do not include those aged under 18.
It found that 54 per cent of respondents aged around 16 to 19 experienced sexual harassment in the past 12 months.
Young females in this age group were more likely to have experienced it than young males, at 65 per cent and 43 per cent, respectively.
These are combined figures from two survey points in 2016 and 2018.
Young females were more likely to have experienced sexual harassment than young males, while those who identified as LGBTIQ+ were also more likely to experience it. Source: SBS News
According to data from the ABS’ 2016 Personal Safety survey, which uses information from those aged 18 years and over, 38 per cent of women and 16 per cent of men aged 18 to 24 had experienced some form of sexual harassment in the past 12 months.
“If we compare this to our figure, we found that in 2016, when our respondents were aged 16-17, 49 per cent of females and 31 per cent of males said they experienced sexual harassment in the past 12 months,” Swami said.
“Even if you look at 2016 estimates … the percentages are higher among younger Australians.”
Swami said this is the case for young women and men, but stressed women are most affected.
Those aged 18-19 who identify as LGBTIQ+ were more likely to experience sexual harassment (49 per cent) than non-LGBTIQ+ people (31 per cent). The proportion was higher for LGBTIQ+ females.
‘Extremely concerning’ findings
Karen Bevan, chief executive of Full Stop Australia, an organisation supporting people who experience sexual, family, or domestic violence, said the data is “concerning”.
She said it “validates long-held observations from our clients and the wider community that part of growing up in Australia includes a significant risk of sexual violence, particularly for young women and people of diverse gender expressions”.
“While its findings are unsurprising, they underscore the pressing need for Australian governments, industries, and communities to confront and address sexual violence,” Bevan said.
Kinnersly said women and gender-diverse people are disproportionately more likely to experience sexual harassment — and that it’s “extremely concerning” the data suggests that the younger a woman is, the more likely they will be sexually harassed.
Bevan said sexual harassment “has serious impacts on young women’s safety and wellbeing”.
Where are young people experiencing harassment?
The report found young females were mostly subjected to such behaviour by strangers, while males were mostly subjected to it by friends.
Of the 18 to 19-year-olds, 48 per cent said they experienced harassment at a bar, club or party, while 27 per cent said it happened online, 18 per cent experienced it at work, and 12 per cent at a place of study.
Of 16 to 17-year-olds, 40 per cent said a place of study.
Social media was also a factor, with 53 per cent of females and 33 per cent of males who shared or posted up to several times a day experiencing some form of sexual harassment. This compared to 35 and 17 per cent of females and males who posted or shared once a month or less.
“This confirms what young people have been telling us — they are subject to regular sexual harassment, and it happens in all kinds of environments,” Bevan said.
Young Australians reported experiencing sexual harassment in a range of settings. Source: SBS News
‘Everyone can play a role’
Swami believes the study is critical as it “fills that evidence gap and brings focus to a group that is studied less — that’s younger Australians”.
She acknowledged sexual harassment is a complex, multi-faceted issue that requires a whole-of-community prevention approach.
“Everyone — whether it’s parents, teachers, health service providers, government and even social media companies — can play a role in reducing harms and reducing the rates of sexual harassment among younger Australians,” she said.
Swami said more can be done at schools and in online spaces — while programs and policies that foster healthy relationships among parents, adolescents and friends can also help.
Bevan said a suite of evidence-based response and prevention mechanisms should be adequately funded to better protect young people and address sexual harassment.
“Continued investment in broadscale prevention is needed to address the drivers of sexual harassment — in particular, harmful social attitudes about women and sexual violence, and attitudes that blame victims,” she said.
Bevan agreed that sexual violence prevention is “everyone’s business”.
“Until we see a whole-of-community approach to violence, victim-survivors will continue to be let down.”
Kinnersly said sexual harassment does not occur out of the blue.
“It is a result of disrespect, sexism and harmful gender stereotypes that create a culture where violence towards women is accepted.
“We need to do more to ensure young people can be safe and work towards preventing all forms of gender-based violence — including sexual harassment — from happening in the first place.”
Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth said the Albanese government has made ending gender-based violence “a national priority”.
“This includes early intervention and prevention to help combat attitudes which objectify women and disregard consent,” she said in a statement.
“We have made addressing all forms of sexual violence, including sexual harassment, a priority action under the National Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children 2022-2032 and are investing in a range of programs to address rates of sexual violence.”
Rishworth cited two national campaigns launched earlier this year on consent and to counter misogynistic voices in social media spaces, such as Snapchat, Meta and TikTok.
“There is no place for sexual violence in our society, particularly amongst young people. We all have a role to play to end violence against women and children. Businesses, governments, individuals, communities. Together, we can achieve change.”
If you or someone you know is impacted by sexual assault, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732, text 0458 737 732, or visit . In an emergency, call 000.
