Numerous demonstrations took place in France on Saturday, November 23, ahead of International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on November 25. Two high-profile cases that emerged at the start of the fall reflect the scale of sexist and sexual violence in France: the revelation of accusations of sexual violence against Abbé Pierre and the trial of Dominique Pelicot, accused of drugging his wife so that she could be raped by more than 50 men, who are also defendants in the trial.
Whatever form it takes – assault, harassment, rape, domestic violence or femicide – violence against women is extensive. In 1993, the United Nations (UN) adopted the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women, which is defined as "any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life."
In France, various statistics, although they only partially reflect reality, make it possible to assess the number of women who are victims of violence.
The main data available on violence against women comes from two types of annual reports produced by the Ministerial Statistical Service for Internal Security (SSMSI). The first is a statistical report entitled "Insecurity and Criminality," based on complaints recorded each year in France by the police and the national gendarmerie (but which does not take into account other acts such as complaints logged without pressing charges).
However, it is not an exhaustive assessment, as not all victims systematically file a complaint, or sometimes do so much later. In the wake of the #MeToo revelations, the number of complaints of sexual violence rose sharply. In 2023, half of all victims filed a complaint more than six months after the event and 17% more than five years later (compared with 9% in 2016).
To better understand the actual situation, the French government produces a second annual report, titled "Personal Experiences and the Aftermath Regarding Security" (VRS). It surveys a representative sample of people aged between 18 and 74 in France about the crimes and abuse they have been victims of in the course of their lives.
According to the latest VRS survey published at the end of 2023, 270,000 women say they have been victims of physical sexual violence (rape, attempted rape and sexual assault), while 1.14 million women say they suffered non-physical sexual violence (sexual harassment and indecent exposure) in 2022.
But only a small minority filed a complaint with the police or gendarmerie. Just 6% for physical sexual violence and 2% for non-physical sexual violence. The ones who don't complain felt that "it would have been useless" (23%), that "it wasn't serious enough" (23%) or that their testimony would "not have been taken seriously" (15%).
Consequently, the data collected by law enforcement is logically less numerous than the results of the declarative surveys but still show a yearly increase. In 2023, 114,100 formal complaints of sexual violence were recorded of which 85% were filed by filed by women – a consistent yearly percentage.
In 2023, the number of victims of sexual violence was more than double that of 2016
In the context of being able to speak openly, made easier from 2017 by the #MeToo movement, the number of victims of sexual violence recorded in 2023 by the police and gendarmerie was 7% higher than in 2022, which also includes the number of older incidents being filed.
Of the 114,100 victims of sexual violence recorded in 2023 by law enforcement agencies, 65,300 were minors, the higher proportion of which were young women. However, boys between the ages of 9 and 19 are just as likely to be victims of sexual violence.
Women are the most frequent victims of sexual violence, in particular girls
On the other hand, the perpetrators were almost exclusively men. In 2023, of the 76,621 people incriminated by the police and gendarmerie for clear-cut cases of sexual violence, 96% were men and 27% were aged between 30 and 44.
In addition, according to statements recorded in the 2023 VRS survey, 52% of victims of rape, attempted rape or assault said they knew their attacker. In 13% of cases, the perpetrator was the partner, in 15% an ex-partner and in 11% a friend. The report notes that in all physical sexual violence, women are victims six times more often than men.
On average, a woman is killed every three days by her partner or ex-partner. According to the 2023 report by the Interministerial Mission of the Protection of Women (MIPROF), there were 93 femicides and 319 attempted femicides. The figures are deemed to be underestimated by some feminist groups. The #NousToutes collective counted at least 135 femicides in 2023 and as of November 20, has already reported 122 for 2024.
The MIPROF report adds to this count the 773 victims of harassment by a spouse or ex-spouse that led to suicide or attempted suicide.
244,301 people were victims of domestic violence in 2022
The Genese (Gender and Security) survey carried out by the Interior Ministry in 2021 estimates that 3.6 million women aged 18 to 74 (15.9%) said that, from the age of 15, they had experienced physical or sexual violence by a partner at least once. The number of victims of domestic violence recorded in 2022 has increased by 15% compared to 2021.
Although outwardly invisible, psychological violence should not be underestimated. The VRS survey reveals that the vast majority of women who have suffered domestic violence reported very significant (36%) and fairly significant (42%) psychological abuse. The 2018 law against sexist and sexual violence specifies punishable offenses for sexist insults and street harassment. From the time it was passed, 2,600 offenses of this type have been recorded in France by law enforcement services.
Gender stereotypes and casual sexism also persist and are mentioned in the Annual Report 2023 on the Current Situation of Sexism in France by the High Council for Equality between Women and Men (HCE): "Public opinion recognizes and deplores the existence of sexism, but does not reject it in practice, a phenomenon particularly prevalent among the men surveyed. This discrepancy between perception, statements and practice has tangible consequences in terms of symbolic, physical, sexual and economic violence. From everyday 'casual' sexism to its most violent manifestations, there is a continuum of violence."
The report is based on a "sexism barometer" showing that a majority of women experience it on a daily basis: 57% of women have already been subjected to sexist jokes or remarks (two out of three of whom are in the upper socio-professional categories), 41% have been subjected to whistling and inappropriate gestures from men and 29% to inappropriate remarks about their dress or physique.
The 2024 edition of the HCE report reveals that, once again, the vast majority of French women and men note continued gender inequality: 92% of the population considers that women and men are not treated equally in at least one of society's spheres. Nine out of 10 women say they have changed some actions and behavior to avoid being victims of sexism.
Translation of an original article published in French on lemonde.fr; the publisher may only be liable for the French version.