Several media outlets were concerned about an alarming figure at the end of the summer, ensuring that 156 complaints were recorded every day in Île-de-France for sexual violence in transport. But it’s actually 80 times less.
The figure circulated a lot on the web at the end of August. There were reportedly 156 victims of sexual violence per day on public transport in Île-de-France in 2020. The figure appeared in an article in the Parisian of August 31, 2023 and was published in several media, including Release, West France, Marie Claire, miss and even the Franceinfo television channel. But this figure is incorrect.
Fewer than two victims of sexual violence recorded per day in Île-de-France transport in 2020
The error comes from a newspaper article The Parisian, which revealed an internal police memo. In its article devoted to sexual violence in public transport, the newspaper writes that “57,000 complaints of sexual violence were recorded in 2020 by the police and gendarmerie services. Or 156 complaints per day”. Several media understood that this only concerned transport in the Ile-de-France region and took the figure without verifying it, worrying about an alarming note.
But that’s not the case. In truth, in 2020, law enforcement recorded fewer than two victims of sexual violence per day on public transport in the Ile-de-France region, according to data from the statistics service of the Ministry of the Interior. Less than two per day is already too much, but it is 80 times less than the figure that has been circulating. We are talking about registered victims, without prejudging the number of victims who do not file a complaint.
The figure of 156 complaints does not speak at all of public transport, nor of Île-de-France in particular. It actually corresponds to the number of victims of sexual violence who were recorded by law enforcement throughout the country in 2020, all places combined, except specifically on public transport. So it’s exactly the opposite. If we add transport, this rises to 161 victims of sexual violence recorded per day in France in 2020.
Figures on the rise in 2022
The figures for sexual violence had decreased slightly in 2020 in the context of the Covid-19 health crisis. Since then, new figures have been released for the years 2021 and 2022 and they show a constant increase in sexual violence in France.
In 2021, law enforcement recorded 78,600 victims of sexual violence across the country, including 2,039 on public transport. In Île-de-France alone, 13,870 victims of sexual violence have been recorded, including 905 on public transport. That is 2.5 victims per day in the Ile-de-France transport network.
In 2022, the numbers were even a little higher. 87,675 victims of sexual violence were recorded by the police, according to figures revealed Thursday September 14 by the statistics service of the Ministry of the Interior, including 2,308 in the country’s public transport. In Île-de-France alone, 16,087 victims were recorded, including 1,077 who were sexually assaulted on transport. That’s almost 3 victims per day in the Ile-de-France network.
In its statistical report, the Ministry of the Interior notes that sexual violence in transport has increased “at a similar pace” to that of sexual violence in other places. He gives several explanations. This increase in victim registrations is, according to him, both due to the real increase in these acts of violence, but also to the freedom of victims to speak out and to the improvement in the reception of victims in police stations. and the police.