The 1998 and 2000 British Crime Surveys included computerised self-completion questionnaires designed to provide the most accurate-ever estimates of the extent and nature of sexual victimisation in England and Wales. The questions were asked of both men and women; this publication presents findings on the victimisation of women only. A nationally representative sample of 6,944 women aged 16 to 59 answered the 2000 self-completion module. The responses of these women were used to estimate the extent of sexual victimisation. In order to examine the nature of incidents, the 1998 and 2000 modules were combined, to give a total of 1,183 female victims. Estimates of the proportion of women suffering sexual victimisation were derived from 'follow-up' questions contained in the module (see Appendix G). When considering the extent of sexual victimisation, estimates could be calculated for 'rape' (defined as penetration of the vagina or anus) and 'any sexual victimisation' (including rape). When exploring the nature of incidents, it was possible to generate separate categories of 'rape' and 'sexual assault'. There is currently no legal offence of sexual assault, but the questions in the module include the word 'force', which implies an assault.

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