The number of sex crimes being reported to the police has gone down sharply over the past six years, according to the latest emancipation monitor published by the government’s socio-cultural policy group SCP.

Last year, there were almost 1,500 reports of rape and 2,100 reports of sexual assault, down almost one-third on 2005. Between 1985 and 2002, the number of reports of rape rose 40%.
Researcher Piet Hein van Mulligen told the Volkskrant the decline does reflect a true drop in crime rates. Reported crime is down across the board apart from for burglary.
Nevertheless, the likelihood of sex crimes being reported is low, particularly if the attacker is known to the victim, the SCP report says. Justice ministry research from 2005 suggested only one in eight rapes is actually reported to the police.