Two hundred and thirty-one people have been charged with five hundred and twenty-two separate counts of serious sexual offences as of last month.

The statistics was released by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions today which relates to the number of formal indictments filed in the High courts of Fiji.

Sixteen people charged were under the age of eighteen years.

The offences were rape, attempted rape, assault with intent to rape, abduction with an intent to rape, indecent assault, incest, defilement and sexual assault.

There were two hundred and forty-six victims of the five hundred and twenty-two separate sexual offences and of the 246, 151 of the victims were under the age of 18 years.

To date, the youngest victims of serious sexual offences are 1 year ad 10 months and 1 year and 11 months.

The accused persons were the father and grandfather of the victims.

Eighty-six offences occurred in domestic relationships or where the accused was known to the victims.

There were also charges of unlawful wounding, criminal trespass as part of the act of rape and indecently annoying a female.