Reading research about sexual violence

Do not take the definition from the headline

WHO describes sexual violence in terms of sexual acts and attempts involving coercion; the scope is not limited to a single type of act. Read which behaviours the study’s own questions cover. A legal classification and a research measurement do not necessarily use the same definition. This page does not make a legal assessment.

The denominator and period

Lifetime experience and experience in the past year are different measures. People seeking a service and a general-population sample are different populations too. Record the age ranges, sampling methods and question wording side by side for studies you intend to compare.

A reading check

1. What explicit behavioural definition does the study use?
2. Which age range and population were examined?
3. Were the data obtained through self-reports, service records or another method?
4. Which time interval was asked about?
5. Are underreporting and measurement limitations explained?

Do not retell an account merely as an “interesting case”. Consider identifying details and the language used. As a research reader, keep the study’s informational value separate from a judgement about a person’s experience.

How current is the source?

The WHO fact sheet below is dated 18 June 2026. Its date does not mean that all the data it cites were collected that year. Return to the original data year and method for each number. This page does not produce a new prevalence estimate or personalised health recommendation.

The historical address

The Turkish URL preserves the connection to this historical PiVOLKA 23 topic. The text above is a new web guide, not a copy of the old article or a new text by its original author. The issue 23 record remains separate.