Measuring sexual victimisation and perpetration in today’s society: Modifications to the sexual experiences survey

Abstract

Sexual violence is a major public health problem that has received increasing scientific attention over the years. Prevalence rates, however, remain inconclusive due to inconsistencies in the applied definition of sexual violence. While the development of the Sexual Experiences Survey (SES) and its popular use among scholars already allowed for greater comparisons between studies, the latest revision dates back from 2006. In the meantime legal definitions have changed and other forms of sexual violence have become more prominent. This paper discusses changes made to the SES in the context of a large-scale national representative study regarding sexual violence among the Belgian population. The rationale indicated that changes to the SES may be necessary to increase its applicability in today’s society. The aim of this paper is to inform future scholars who wish to examine sexual violence and make similar changes, therefore allowing for greater comparability between studies. In addition, we aim to create a platform for future discussions and documentations of changes made to the SES that may eventually be used as a basis for future revisions of the SES tool.