Two months after the launch of a call for testimonies, the Independent Commission on incest and sexual violence against children (Ciivise) will present the first lessons learned from the words of the victims and the hearing of the experts, during the a conference Wednesday, November 17 at the Ministry of Solidarity and Health. The Ciivise lists 6,200 testimonies from adults who were victims of sexual violence or incest when they were children. Among these testimonies there are 1,200 calls, 1,200 emails and letters and 3,800 questionnaires, according to a document obtained by franceinfo.
You have been a victim of #sexual violence in your childhood?
Was one of your relatives a victim of sexual violence as a child?
☎️ We are listening to you.
To find out more, go to https://t.co/VG4YEl9r0z#testifyprotect #incest pic.twitter.com/2B879orcEi
– Independent incest commission (@CIIVISE_contact) September 22, 2021
Also according to this document, the profile of the victims, established on the basis of the 3,800 questionnaires, is as follows. Nine out of ten victims are women, with an average age of 44, 13% of victims are disabled. Regarding freedom of speech, 9 out of 10 incest victims have already spoken of violence, “One in two victims who did not speak about the violence did not do so out of shame, guilt, fear of the reactions of those around them, of the procedure, etc.”, according to Ciivise.
This document also sheds light on the impact on the mental health of incest victims. “Almost nine in ten victims say that sexual violence has had a negative impact on their self-confidence and on their psychological health. One in three victims reports having already made a suicide attempt.”. He also looks at the impact of this violence on the health and sexual life of the victims. “Following sexual violence, one in three women reports gynecological problems and one in five reports a disruption of her menstrual cycle or an absence of periods”. As a result of sexual violence, “one in three victims say they have no sex life. Almost one in two men say they have compulsive sexuality, this concerns less than one in three women “.
Incest victims also stress their vulnerability to violence. “Six out of ten women and nearly four out of ten men have suffered other types of violence during their life (in the couple, at work, in the public space, during their studies)”. These people do not say they are supported by society to protect them. “100% of victims consider that society does not protect children enough”, indicates the document. “Seven out of ten victims who spoke of the violence did so more than ten years after the fact and for four out of ten victims who revealed this violence, the confidant did nothing”.
Finally, concerning compensation for the damage suffered, “One in two victims has not benefited from any psychological support. One third of victims with disabilities consider that their disability has hindered their medical care”.
The Independent Commission on Incest and Sexual Violence against Children (Ciivise) was launched in January 2021 by Emmanuel Macron to better prevent sexual violence, better protect child victims and fight against impunity for perpetrators. It is chaired by Edouard Durand, magistrate and expert in child protection, and by Nathalie Mathieu, general manager of the Docteurs Bru association, which welcomes young girls victims of incest in a specialized house. The Ciivise conference comes a few weeks after the publication of the Sauvé report which revealed the extent of child crime in the Catholic Church.