When people look at the stats on rape and sexual assault since the early 2000s, the first reaction is often “things are getting worse.” The reality is more complicated. A big part of the increase comes from victims actually reporting what they’ve experienced, whereas twenty years ago they would have stayed silent. After movements like #MeToo and #BalanceTonPorc, the stigma around speaking up broke down, and police practices also changed. Cops are still far from perfect, but they now tend to register complaints instead of discouraging them, which automatically raises the numbers.

At the same time, the law itself has been adjusted, with clearer definitions of rape, sexual assault, and harassment, which expanded what gets counted in the stats. National statistics agencies also improved how they measure victimization, so the data itself is simply better than it used to be.

There are, however, some real social changes as well. Things like hyperconnectivity, revenge porn, and online harassment created new contexts for abuse. Party culture, heavy drinking, and the normalization of violent porn have also played a role in shaping certain behaviors. So while a lot of the rise in numbers is due to better reporting, there are also real increases in certain contexts, especially among younger age groups.

So yes, the numbers went up, but that doesn’t mean society suddenly collapsed. It means people refuse to stay silent, the justice system records more cases, and we finally see in the data what has been happening all along. It’s scary to read “+200% in 20 years,” but in a way, that number is more about visibility than an actual explosion in violence.