Lithuania reports decline in registered female victims of sexual violence

The number of women and girls registered as victims of sexual violence in Lithuania decreased last year, though official statistics still fail to reflect the true scale of such crimes, a senior police official said Thursday.

Eglė Maziliauskienė, deputy head of Lithuania’s Criminal Police Bureau, announced the figures during a parliamentary discussion on sexual violence, stating that 262 women and girls were recorded as victims in 2025—down from 324 in 2024 and 284 in 2023.

“The situation stabilised in 2025,” Maziliauskienė said, noting the slight year-on-year decline. However, she stressed that sexual offences remain among the most underreported crimes, with statistics offering only a partial view of the problem.

“Sexual crimes are one of the most sensitive areas of criminality and also one with the highest levels of latent cases,” she said. “Statistics do not reflect the real situation nor can they serve as a reliable measure of Lithuania’s actual circumstances.”

Instead, Maziliauskienė argued, the data primarily indicates public trust in state institutions and the effectiveness of protective measures. She highlighted that 80% of registered victims are minors, framing the issue as a child protection concern.

The majority of offences now originate or develop in digital spaces, where perpetrators exploit anonymity to build trust and conceal evidence, she added.

Her remarks follow a proposal by conservative MP Daiva Ulbinaitė to ban children under 16 from using social media without verified parental consent. While Seimas Speaker Juozas Olekas and Prime Minister Ingrida Ruginienė acknowledged the risks, both cautioned against outright prohibitions, advocating instead for expanded youth engagement initiatives.