Non-Contact Sexual Offences
What are non-contact sexual offences?
Non-contact sexual offences generally refer to a range of sexual offences that don’t involve physical contact between the perpetrator and the victim.
Non-contact sexual offences are serious crimes in of themselves but they can also indicate a potential pattern of harmful behaviour that may escalate.
- Cyberflashing: Cyberflashing is the unsolicited sending of sexually explicit images or videos to others via digital communication channels (text messages, emails, social media platforms, airdrop or messaging apps) without consent.
- Indecent exposure: Sometimes known as flashing, indecent exposure is when someone deliberately exposes their genitals to another person for sexual pleasure and/or to frighten or upset them.
- Upskirting: Upskirting is when someone takes photos or videos underneath a person’s clothes without their consent often for sexual gratification or to cause distress.
- Voyeurism: Voyeurism is when someone gains sexual gratification via non-consensually watching, photographing or recording another person whilst they are engaged in a private act (for example undressing, showering or being sexually intimate). It also includes installing a camera or other device with the intention of recording someone in a private act without their consent.
- Sexual harassment: Sexual harassment is unwanted behaviour of a sexual nature towards another person that makes them feel upset, intimidated or degraded. It covers a range of behaviours some of which are non-contact like sexual comments, noises or gestures.
Sexual harassment can take place in a variety of different settings including workplaces, schools and universities, gyms and public transport.
Sexual harassment can be a one-off incident or repeated. Importantly, it is the person receiving the sexual behaviour who decides whether it is unwanted and not the person doing the behaviour.
In 2024, Thames Valley Police launched the It Does Matter! campaign to raise awareness of non-contact sexual offences and empower victims to report them.
The campaign was developed in collaboration with Lisa Squire, a Buckinghamshire mum whose daughter Libby was tragically raped and murdered while at Hull University in 2019 by a stranger who had a history of carrying out non-contact sexual offences.
55% of women who have experienced non-contact sexual behaviours said they didn’t think the incident was serious enough to report it but these behaviours can escalate and result in perpetrators moving on to more extreme crimes.
By reporting non-contact sexual offences, victims can help the police locate those that commit these crimes, identify patterns of offending and prevent an escalation in offending.
To report a non-contact sexual offence, call 101 or report to Thames Valley Police online.
Victims of non-contact sexual offences often feel violated, distressed and unsafe. Victims First can provide emotional support to anyone that has experienced a non-contact sexual offence. Contact us on 0300 1234 148 or use our online form found at Get Support Now.