Rape an increasing problem in Spain

Every year, 1,161 rapes are reported in Spain according to 2011 data released by the Interior Ministry. That is three assaults a day, or one every eight hours.

Not every reported rape ends up in a conviction. And it is very likely that there are in fact a lot more cases of rape in any given year than the 1,161 that show up in the official statistics for 2011. This is not just because the figure does not include the region of Catalonia, which keeps its own records (581 sexual assaults in 2011, according to the regional police, who do not specify the kind of attack). It is because many rapes go unreported, especially those that occur in the home or which target minors.