Defining and Registering Criminal Offences and Measures - Oapen

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3.2 Offence definitions for conviction statistics
Rape and Other Sexual Offences
Definitions used for conviction statistics are almost identical to definitions used
for police data. Some findings are summarized hereafter as illustration.
Definitions at conviction level for rape (table D.4) differ from definitions used
at police level in two countries, namely Albania, and Switzerland. Swiss conviction
data match ESB definition, whereas it was not possible at the police level.
Conviction statistics definitions for sexual assault are different from police statistics
definitions for France and Switzerland. As can be seen in table D.5, sexual
assaults with abuse of authority or against a helpless person could not be included
in data from England and Wales. Non-physical molestation is included in conviction
data in France and Poland. Sexual assaults without violence are included in data
from Iceland, Poland, and the Netherlands.
For sexual abuse of minors conviction statistics definitions are different from
police statistics definitions for Iceland and Switzerland. Sexual abuse of minors
committed by person below the age of consent is excluded from data in Finland,
France, Germany, and Iceland.