LGBTQIA+ people twice as likely to face sexual violence; 10% faced violence last year

People in the LGBTQIA+ community are more likely to fall victim to crime than the average Dutch person. Last year, 10 percent of lesbian, gay, bi-plus, transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual people were victims of violence, compared to 6 percent of the rest of the Dutch population. People from the LGBTQIA+ community were twice as likely to face sexual violence. Non-binary and genderqueer people, who don’t identify exclusively as male or female, were particularly likely to be targeted, Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reported based on figures from the 2023 Safety Monitor.

Last year, 25 percent of LGBTQIA+ people were victims of traditional crimes - violence, property crimes, or vandalism - compared to 19 percent of people not in the community. “The difference is greatest for violent crimes, including sexual crimes,” CBS said. “LGBTQIA+ people were twice as likely to be victims of sexual violence.” People from the community were also more often victims of property crimes and vandalism.

People with a non-binary or genderqueer identity were the most likely targets of traditional crime. Last year, 24 percent of them were victims of one or more violent crimes. Bi-plus women - women attracted to more than one gender - and homosexual men follow, with 13 and 10 percent, respectively, being victims of violent crimes last year.

People from the LGBTQIA+ community are more likely to experience negative consequences from crimes committed against them and to feel unsafe. 32 percent of LGBTQIA+ victims reported experiencing emotional, financial, or physical consequences from crimes committed against them, compared to 25 percent of non-LGBTQIA+ victims.

Of LGBTQIA+ aged 15 and older, 42 percent indicated that they sometimes feel unsafe in general. 18 percent experienced this in their own neighborhood. In the rest of the population, 34 percent sometimes feel unsafe in general and 14 percent in their own neighborhood.