'Incredibly Horrific' Sexual Assault of Tourist While Looking For Sydney Hotel
A Belgian tourist was sexually assaulted on her third night in Sydney, Australia, reports say. The tourist was reportedly trying to find her way back to her hotel in the city when she was assaulted.
Sydney authorities say that the 25-year-old Belgian was on her way to her hotel when a man pushed the tourist to a laneway. The Belgian woman was at Potts Point at 8.30pm Wednesday where the sexual assault happened.
An "Incredibly Horrific" Attack
According to Michael Fitzgerald's Macqaurie Radio interview Thursday, the Rose Bay Detective describes the attack as "incredibly horrific" considering that the young Belgian woman "is new" to the country.
After the man who pushed the tourist fled, the Belgian called the police. She was later taken to a hospital nearby to get treatment. Reports say that the Belgian tourist is traumatised.
Sydney police say that the victim could not give an accurate description of the man who sexually assaulted her, reports say.
Sexual Assault Statistics in Australia
According to a 2006 survey done by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, one in five women have experienced getting assaulted sexually as opposed to one in 20 men. A national Crime & Safety Survey done in the year 2005 estimates that around 44, 00 individuals, 18 years and over, have been sexually abused. The survey gives Australia a victimisation prevalence of 0.3 per cent in 2005.
Experts say that only one in six reports of rape result to prosecution in Australia.
A Dutch tourist was raped over 60 times in Australia in 2012 according to a July 12, 2013 report of The Age.
The tourist was reportedly held hostage for a month and a half and was tortured and sexually abused. The woman was held in a Preston apartment from mid-November to December in 2012, police say, and was only able to flee her captors when she was brought to a hospital after inflicting harm on herself.
Pink Taxis For Women
The growing reports of sexual assault and being in the line of sight of "leering men" has prompted Melbourne's Taxi Link to come up with the Pink Taxi solution. Pink Taxis will be driven by female drivers and will only take female passengers.
