Stepping out of the shadows: addressing sexual violence in older adults

Sexual violence is widely recognised as a major threat to public and mental health, as well as a human rights violation.1 However, research on its prevalence and effect in older adults worldwide remains scarce. Older adults often do not fit the prevailing image of a so-called real rape victim2—typically imagined as a young female attacked at night by a stranger motivated by sexual gratification. Because older adults are generally less sexualised than younger adults, they could be considered as being less desired and not as at risk as younger adults.