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The other side of late‐life intimacy? Sexual violence in later life

Bows, Hannah

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Abstract

Objectives: To explore the extent, nature and consequences of sexual violence in later life. Methods: Data were obtained from all police forces in England, Wales and Northern Ireland on rape and sexual assault by penetration (Sexual Offences Act 2003) offences involving a victim aged ≥ 60 years, recorded between 1 January 2009 and 31 December 2013. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 27 practitioners working in specialist violence or age‐related organisations and with three female survivors. Results: The majority of victims were female, and most offenders were male. Offenders were generally younger than victims, and most offences occurred in the victim's home, although one in five occurred in a care home. Physical, psychological and social consequences were described which create specific challenges in accessing and receiving support. Conclusion: An intersectional life course analysis of sexual violence is required to develop a better understanding of the consequences, particularly for older women.

Citation

Bows, H. (2020). The other side of late‐life intimacy? Sexual violence in later life. Australasian Journal on Ageing, 39(S1), 65-70. https://doi.org/10.1111/ajag.12728

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Aug 21, 2019
Online Publication Date Jun 21, 2020
Publication Date 2020-06
Deposit Date Jul 21, 2020
Publicly Available Date Jun 21, 2021
Journal Australasian Journal on Ageing
Print ISSN 1440-6381
Electronic ISSN 1741-6612
Publisher Wiley
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 39
Issue S1
Pages 65-70
DOI https://doi.org/10.1111/ajag.12728

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Copyright Statement
This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Bows, Hannah (2020). The other side of late‐life intimacy? Sexual violence in later life. Australasian Journal on Ageing 39(S1): 65-70 which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1111/ajag.12728. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions.




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