Sexual Violence Awareness Week 2026: Improving responses to an often-hidden issue

Sexual violence has a devasting impact on people’s lives. Yet its impact on older people is often not fully recognised or understood.

For some older people, sexual violence may begin in later life, as highlighted by data from the Wales Violence Prevention Unit, which showed that Welsh police forces recorded around a thousand sexual offences against older people during a five-year period. This figure, however, is likely to be much higher in reality as these kinds of offences are significantly underreported.

Other older people may be experiencing unresolved trauma relating to sexual abuse that occurred in the past, which still has a very real impact on their lives.

While recognition of this issue, and the realities of older people’s experiences, has grown in recent years, much more needs to be done to ensure older people who have experienced, or are at risk of, sexual violence and abuse can access the support and services they need.

That’s why I recently brought together key partners working across the public and voluntary sectors for a roundtable event to explore the action needed to improve responses to older people’s experiences of sexual violence or abuse.

All participants had direct experience of working with older people affected by sexual violence or abuse, which was critical to ensuring that the voices of older people remained central to the discussion and that any decisions for action were firmly grounded in their lived experiences.

The insights from these discussions were crucial to identify key areas for action, which are set out in my summary report from the event.

These include targeted research and improved data collection relating to older people’s experiences; examining the provision of support for older people experiencing violence and abuse within existing services, as well as knowledge and skill levels amongst practitioners; and increased investment in specialist services and awareness raising activities.

Participants made several specific commitments in support of the identified areas for action, and I am looking forward to exploring the progress that has been made in a follow-up roundtable that I am hosting in March.

Playing my part, I am working with statutory bodies, specialist providers and inspectorates to develop a clearer understanding of existing responses to older people’s experiences of sexual violence and abuse. This engagement will help identify good practice, as well as areas where improvements are needed, ensuring that learning informs future policy development, service design, and operational responses across Wales.

I will also continue to work collaboratively with specialist services, my Stopping Abuse Action Group, and older people themselves to ensure that lived experiences remain central to shaping and informing this work, as well as influencing future actions.

Alongside this, I will continue to scrutinise the Welsh Government’s action on this issue, as well as its wider work to tackle abuse, particularly in terms of turning the ambition in the National Plan to Prevent the Abuse of Older People into practical action and progress against the Violence Against Women Domestic Abuse (VAWDASV) Blueprint.

Sexual Violence Awareness Week provides an important focus on a difficult, often hidden issue and reminds us why working together to improve responses to experiences of sexual violence and abuse so that everyone affected, regardless of their age, can access the support they need.