The CIIVISE Report: Ending Sexual Violence Against Children

8 December 2023

The Independent Commission on Incest and Sexual Violence Against Children (CIIVISE), established on March 11, 2021 following the presidential announcement of January 23, 2021, is mandated to assess and publicize the scale of violence experienced by children and to formulate recommendations to address it. Chaired by Juvenile Court Judge Edouard Durand and Nathalie Mathieu, Executive Director of the association Docters Bru, the CIIVISE delivered its final report on November 20, entitled Sexual Violence Against Children: We Believe You. This report sets out 82 recommendations for urgent action.

The state of sexual violence against children: an urgent response to a widespread and taboo issue

Incest and sexual violence against children are far from isolated occurrences, affecting all social and cultural backgrounds:

• 10% of the French population has been a victim of incest.
• 160,000 children are victims of sexual violence annually, equivalent to 3 per school class.

Beyond sexual assaults such as molestation and rape, child victims are often subjected to manipulation, threats, and minimisation of their suffering by offending parents. Such strategies aim to imprison the child in silence and impose guilt. Frequently, children do disclose what happened to them but are not believed:

• 75% confide in their mother, 19% in siblings, and 15% in their father.
• In only 1% of cases is there evidence or a witness; in the remaining 99%, it is the child’s word against the adult’s.

The consequences of sexual violence are severe, increasing the likelihood of further victimization during life or of becoming an offender, alongside long-term psychological and physical trauma if not addressed in time and appropriately:

• On average, it takes 10 to 13 years before victims receive specialized care.
• 79% of healthcare professionals fail to link psychological trauma with sexual violence.
• Only 5% of reports are made by physicians, largely due to fear of disciplinary sanctions from the Medical Council.

Even in the absence of disclosure, certain behavioral signs – both at school (distraction, aggression towards peers) and at home (hair-pulling, insomnia, refusal to eat) – should signal possible trauma, requiring adult inquiry.

• 83% of raped children are girls. In 67% of cases, incest results in pregnancy, with two-thirds ending in abortion.
• Children with disabilities are significantly more vulnerable, given regular physical handling for care routines, making it harder to distinguish abusive contact.

Focus on selected CIIVISE recommendations

For early detection and specialized care of victims of incest:

• Raise awareness about the impacts of violence, including neurological damage, early mortality (stroke, chronic illness), and mental health deterioration (anxiety disorders, suicide, depression).
• Establish an information, care, and reception center for victims of psychological trauma per 100,000 inhabitants.
• Pay particular attention to children with disabilities.
• Conduct extensive public education on incest and sexual violence against children.

For training professionals working with victims:

• Recognise the effects of psychological trauma on the clarity of victim testimony during police reporting.
• Systematically train physicians to detect signs of violence.
• Implement standardised questioning in suspected cases (e.g., “Is someone being mean to you?”, “Are you experiencing violence?”), including in contexts such as abortions for minors, broken teeth, or bruising.
• Improve child testimony collection, enhance forensic expertise, investigation, and judicial procedures.
• Prepare children for court by clarifying steps, introducing them to involved parties, and avoiding confrontations with perpetrators.
• Eliminate non-scientific theories (e.g., Oedipus complex, parental alienation) from professional judgement.

For effective protection of victims and whistleblowers:

• Ensure victim safety through protective orders that respect the presumption of innocence while preventing an abusive parent from retaining custody.
• Shield whistleblowers from disciplinary action, such as protecting physicians from Medical Council sanctions.
• Protect mothers who report cases of incest.

 

“You are not alone anymore, we believe you.”