Intellectually disabled people do get special protection under Australian law. In the penal code, a person is defined as mentally defective if they suffer from "a mental disease or defect which renders him or her incapable of appraising the nature of his or her conduct." The special protection granted to those with intellectual disabilities in these cases is akin to the statutory protection given to children. In cases of sexual abuse, actual consent is irrelevant, because the person is incapable of giving legal consent. The Sexual Offences Act 2003 defines sexual offences in general, including those perpetrated against or by adults or children. The Act includes specific crimes against adults with intellectual disabilities or mental health conditions:  sexual abuse of vulnerable persons with a mental disorder. These include situations where:  Daniel D. Sorensen, Chair of the Victims of Crime Committee, Criminal Justice Task Force for People with Developmental Disabilities estimates that less than 4.5% of crimes against people with intellectual disabilities in California are reported compared to the 44% of the general public who experience crimes. The Seattle Rape Relief Project program for victims of sexual assault with intellectual disabilities conclude that there is underreporting of sexual assaults of victims with intellectual disabilities that exceed underreporting with other populations. Several studies suggest 80-85% of criminal abuse of residents of institutions never reach the proper authorities. The studies have found that 40% of those criminally abused and 40% of non-abusing staff of care facilities studied are reluctant to come forward with criminal abuse issues for fear of reprisals or retribution from administrators. People with intellectual disabilities can be harmed by sexual violence. The harm is often worse when the violence takes place over a long period and the perpetrator is known to the survivor. The following effects have been reported, but may not be experienced by all learning disabled survivors of sexual violence:   Individuals with intellectual disabilities can find it difficult to communicate when sexual abuse is occurring due to communication barriers. It is important for family members and caregivers to recognize some of the behavioral changes that could indicate when sexual abuse is occurring. Some of the following are behavioral changes that have been seen in some but not all victims of sexual abuse: