Child sex abuse in France - statistics & facts
Child sex abuse refers to sexual violence and crimes committed against minors. It includes sexual harassment, sexual assault (touching), rape (which is, according to the law, non-consensual penetration), child prostitution, incest, as well as child pornography. Considered one of the worst crimes that can be committed, child abuse is nevertheless still common: in 2020, more than 39,400 minors were victims of sexual violence.
Incest is also much more widespread than expected: in 2020, it was estimated that 6.7 million people had been subjected to incest during their lives, and in 2023, nearly 40 percent of French people said they had incest victims in their circle.
If some recently published books such as Le Consentement or La Familia grande have allowed to lift the veil on these crimes and to free the word, the omerta remains in place in cases of child sex abuse. Indeed, among French respondents who knew someone in their close circle who was an incest victim in their childhood, 34 percent of them declared the victim they knew was advised to stay silent about what happened to them, therefore in 58 percent of the cases, no complaint was filed by the victim. Silence and inaction in the face of such crimes can be due to the desire to keep the family circle free of scandal. On the other hand, especially after the Outreau case, the word of the children is sometimes questioned.
In most cases, the type of abuse suffered is sexual touching. Nevertheless, almost a quarter of victims of sexual violence during childhood were raped. Although boys are not spared, the vast majority of victims are girls, mostly under the age of 12. As for the perpetrators, 95 percent are men. Most often committed by one or more family members, these assaults usually take place in the family home or in the extended family circle. However, as age increases, sexual violence against adolescents over the age of 13 tends to occur in a friendly setting, like for instance during extra scholar activities. In almost half of cases, this sexual violence occurs only once. But whether the violence was one-time or recurrent, the trauma often remains the same for the victims and impacts all life areas: sexual, mental, social, family, professional and physical. More than half of the victims report having experienced depressive episodes and suffering from anxiety and phobic disorders. 22 percent have attempted to end their lives. And 30 percent of victims of sexual violence during childhood suffer again from sexual aggression as adults.
If some recently published books such as Le Consentement or La Familia grande have allowed to lift the veil on these crimes and to free the word, the omerta remains in place in cases of child sex abuse. Indeed, among French respondents who knew someone in their close circle who was an incest victim in their childhood, 34 percent of them declared the victim they knew was advised to stay silent about what happened to them, therefore in 58 percent of the cases, no complaint was filed by the victim. Silence and inaction in the face of such crimes can be due to the desire to keep the family circle free of scandal. On the other hand, especially after the Outreau case, the word of the children is sometimes questioned.
In most cases, the type of abuse suffered is sexual touching. Nevertheless, almost a quarter of victims of sexual violence during childhood were raped. Although boys are not spared, the vast majority of victims are girls, mostly under the age of 12. As for the perpetrators, 95 percent are men. Most often committed by one or more family members, these assaults usually take place in the family home or in the extended family circle. However, as age increases, sexual violence against adolescents over the age of 13 tends to occur in a friendly setting, like for instance during extra scholar activities. In almost half of cases, this sexual violence occurs only once. But whether the violence was one-time or recurrent, the trauma often remains the same for the victims and impacts all life areas: sexual, mental, social, family, professional and physical. More than half of the victims report having experienced depressive episodes and suffering from anxiety and phobic disorders. 22 percent have attempted to end their lives. And 30 percent of victims of sexual violence during childhood suffer again from sexual aggression as adults.
