Reports of sexual assault on boys 10-17 in Australia rose after 2021

Police-recorded sexual assaults on boys aged 10-17 in Australia rose 15.7% after 2021, University of Sydney researchers found. The rise is part of a longer 2014-2024 increase reported in JAMA Network Open. Researchers say more willingness to report may explain part of it, pointing also to economic stress and misogynistic online groups as possible factors, with no single cause.