more than three quarters of reports closed without further action, according to a study by the Public Policy Institute

While the number of complaints for sexual and domestic violence is increasing in France. The overwhelming majority of these reports are closed for lack of evidence, notes a study published Wednesday April 3 by the Institute of Public Policies (IPP). Between 2012 and 2021, the rate of dismissal concerns 86% of complaints for sexual violence and 72% for domestic violence.

These complaints are closed without further action, because they are considered “non-pursuable”. The main reason “is that the offense is ‘insufficiently characterized”, explains the author of the study Maëlle Stricot in a note published on the IPP website. This classification decision concerns more than one in two rape cases (59%) received by public prosecutors. Concerning legal consequences, only 14% of suspects involved in cases of sexual violence are tried and among them, 13% are found guilty (27% for perpetrators of domestic violence), underlines the doctoral student at the School of Economics of Paris.

A more severe criminal response

These low percentages could be explained by an increase in reports since #MeToo, particularly old incidents “which are more difficult to prove and therefore to prosecute”. There is a second explanatory factor according to the study. The increase in the number of cases has not led to a proportional increase “financial and human resources granted to justice”.

This increase in the number of reports was accompanied by “greater severity” in the criminal response, particularly in rapid procedures such as immediate appearances. For cases of sexual harassment, the sentences handed down in a criminal court amount to 19.6 months for sexual violence, 6.6 months for domestic violence and 7.7 for other attacks on the person.