Sexual violence against children and adolescents: Family abuse is seldom discussed

Authors: Elise Marsicano (University of Strasbourg, Laboratory SAGE), Nathalie Bajos (INSERM-EHESS-IRIS), Jeanna-eve Pousson (INSERM-IRIS)

Feminist movements, followed by the #MeToo movement, have raised awareness of the scale of the problem of sexual violence and made it easier for victims to speak about their experiences. But revealing sexual abuse remains difficult, particularly when it happens during childhood and within the family. Drawing on a novel survey, Elise Marsicano, Nathalie Bajos, and Jeanna-eve Pousson look at the perpetrators of these acts of violence against children and adolescents, and the people the victims speak to about it when they manage to do so.

Sexual violence in childhood and adolescence is an extremely widespread phenomenon in France, especially for girls. Sexual violence before age 18, including outside the family, affects 13% of women and 5.5% of men. Such abuse of minors occurs across all social backgrounds. Younger generations tend to report it more frequently.

Women primarily experience abuse by family members and friends. Of individuals surveyed, 4.6% of women and 1.2% of men reported experiencing incestuous violence before age 18. The perpetrators are overwhelmingly men.

Men experience fewer instances of violence and speak about it less. Half of women and over 1 in 3 men have already spoken about these acts of violence; however, the discussion remains mostly confined to close circles, particularly parents. Furthermore, the propensity for younger people to report more experiences of violence was not observed for violence committed by a family member.

Published on: 21/06/2023