Survey finds widespread exposure to sexual violence and victim-blaming
Wednesday 7th October 2026 on 13:15 in
Lithuania
More than 38% of people surveyed in Lithuania said they knew someone who had experienced sexual harassment or violence, while many respondents believed victims bore some responsibility, according to a survey reported by LRT.
The representative poll, commissioned by the Lithuanian Women’s Lobby Organisation, found that 4.1% of respondents said they had personally been victims of sexual assault or rape. More than 38% knew someone who had experienced verbal harassment, unwanted physical contact, sexual assault or rape, the non-consensual sharing of intimate content, or online harassment.
More than 51% of respondents said victims may fear that no one will believe them. Another 43% cited distrust of the legal system, while more than a third said victims may fear retaliation by the perpetrator, said Dalia Puidokienė, head of the Lithuanian Women’s Lobby Organisation.
About half of respondents assigned at least some responsibility to victims. Some 47.1% fully or partly agreed that a person who was intoxicated was responsible for the sexual violence they experienced. Meanwhile, 51.6% said a person who did not object verbally or through their actions was partly responsible. A further 38.3% said people who visit nightclubs bear responsibility.
Puidokienė said victims may blame themselves for freezing or feeling afraid, and may worry that others will not believe them or that the system will not protect them.
Asked what would help address sexual violence, 44.2% called for changes to legal regulations. Better training for specialists was cited by 18.7%, while 17.4% called for more public information. Nearly 13% said specialised support for victims should be more accessible.
Rugilė Butkevičiūtė, co-founder of the organisation Ribologija, said nearly half of society no longer associates sexual violence only with physical force and is beginning to recognise and reject drug-facilitated abuse. She added that half of society still links sexual violence with the use of force.
The survey was conducted by Baltijos tyrimai from July 21 to 31 among 1,002 people aged over 18 from all of Lithuania’s counties. The maximum margin of error was about 3.1 percentage points.