FOI ref: FOI-2024-2100
You asked
This FOI request for data to support our research. Our demographic is girls with a diagnosis of ASD or ADHD, aged 14-16 years old. We are looking to compare the frequency of being a victim of sexual abuse in this population in comparison to their typically developing counterparts.
Are you able to provide any statistics or data that could help us to discern prevalence?
We said
Thank you for your request.
Unfortunately, we do not hold the data you are requesting regarding the prevalence of child sexual abuse in females aged 14 to 16 years, who have a diagnosis of ASD or ADHD.
There is currently no source providing the current prevalence of child sexual abuse. The Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) provides the best available indicator by measuring the prevalence of adults who experienced sexual abuse before the age of 16 years.
The latest estimates are for the year ending March 2019 and can be found in our Child sexual abuse in England and Wales: year ending March 2019 article. These are not broken down by any diagnosis of ADHD/ASD. You may also be interested in Table 15 within the accompanying data tables which shows the age at which sexual abuse experienced before the age of 16 first occurred and age when sexual abuse stopped.
We have been assessing the feasibility of a survey to measure the prevalence of child abuse in the UK. We are currently in phase two of the project, which includes developing and conducting a pilot survey with children and young people. Please see our most recent update Exploring the feasibility of a survey measuring child abuse in the UK: June 2024 for more information.
We also publish the number of police recorded crime offences in Table A4 of our appendix tables alongside our quarterly bulletin. These include child sexual abuse offences but unfortunately it does not distinguish specific age or diagnosis of ADHD/ASD. Please note police recorded crime offences do not represent the full scale of child sexual abuse, as it is usually hidden from view and is widely unreported. The Home Office hold these data and can answer any queries through contacting CrimeandPoliceStats@homeoffice.gov.uk.
If you have any other questions, please email us at crimestatistics@ons.gov.uk and we will endeavour to help.