Finnish saw There was a notable increase in reported sexual crimes in 2023, with 7,100 cases recorded, an increase of 29.6% compared to the previous year. This spike, which was 1,600 more than in 2022, coincided with the introduction of new sexual offenses legislation in early 2023 that redefines and expands the scope of sexual offenses.
Kimmo harpacangasA senior statistician at Statistics Finland warns against direct year-to-year comparisons, citing changes in legal definitions and classifications.
The new law changed the definition of rape from one based on violence and intimidation to one based on consent. This expanded the definition of sexual harassment to include forms beyond physical contact and introduced new crimes such as unauthorized distribution of sexual images.
Under the new law, 1,408 rape cases were reported in addition to the 480 cases under the old law, bringing the total number of rape crimes for the year to 1,888, an increase of 219 cases from 2022. Of these, child rape cases accounted for 416 cases. In addition, he received 1,139 reports of sexual harassment as defined by the new law, 343 of which occurred online. There were 146 reports of unauthorized distribution of sexual images, 120 of which occurred on the Internet.
While sexual crimes increased, the number of reported homicides in Finland decreased. Overall, 43,000 crimes against life and health were reported, an increase of 6.5% over the previous year. However, the number of murders was 62, a decrease of 17 from 2022, and the number of attempted murders was 365, an increase of 16 from the previous year. “The number of reported homicides is the lowest since World War II,” Harpakangas said.
The number of assaults totaled 40,700, an increase of 6.8% from 2022. Domestic assaults increased by a modest 0.9%, but assaults in public places increased by nearly 11%.
Robbery crimes also increased significantly, increasing by 17.9% from the previous year. A total of 129,600 property crimes were reported, an increase of 1.1% from 2022. Half of those were shoplifting incidents, which increased by 9.8%.
“The increase in robberies was most pronounced in the police districts of Oulu, Inner Finland, Hame and South West Finland. The situation in Helsinki and Uusimaa seems to have stabilized compared to last year,” explains Haapakangas. .
The data shows a changing crime landscape in Finland, with sexual crimes on the rise amid legal reforms and a decline in murders, highlighting a complex picture of the country’s security and legal challenges. .
HT