The Brussels judicial district recorded 1,048 sexual-offence cases between January and July 2025, according to new federal police data released on Monday by the Brussels Bar during a press conference marking the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.
Police registered between 142 and 225 sexual-offence cases each month over the first seven months of the year. The figures show a continuous rise in such crimes in Brussels since 1 January 2020. Federal police counted 2,174 cases in 2024, compared with 1,846 in 2023, 1,810 in 2022, 1,677 in 2021 and 1,252 in 2020. The steepest increases occurred between 2020 and 2021 (+34%) and between 2023 and 2024 (+18%).
Even taking in consideration a possible rise in victims' willingness to report, police say the data shows a clear year-on-year growth in offences.
Rape (35%) and sexual assault (34%) were the most frequently recorded offences between 1 January 2024 and 20 June 2025. Other categories included public indecency (9%), dissemination of sexual content (8%), child sexual abuse images (7%), voyeurism (3%), sexual exploitation of minors for prostitution (2%) and grooming of minors for sexual purposes (2%).
