Some 271,000 victims of domestic violence, the vast majority of them women, were registered by security forces in 2023, an increase of 10% in one year, the Ministry of the Interior announced on Wednesday, November 26.
The number of victims registered in France “has doubled since 2016”The ministerial statistical service for internal security (SSMSI) specifies in a statement, which includes this increase in the “Context of freedom of expression and improvement of reception conditions for victims”.
As in previous years, the vast majority of victims are women (85%), while the accused are usually men (86%), notes the SSMSI.
According to the Ministry of the Interior, two thirds of domestic violence (64%) consists of physical violence. Thirty-two percent of victims suffered verbal or psychological violence, including moral harassment (17%), threats (12%), invasions of privacy (1%), or insults and defamations (1%). Four percent were victims of sexual violence.
For 2% of victims of moral harassment, the events led to suicide or a suicide attempt, specifies the SSMSI.
As in 2022, Pas-de-Calais, Réunion, Nord, Somme and Seine-Saint-Denis “They are among the departments that have the highest rates of registered victims per 1,000 inhabitants” between 15 and 64 years old, according to the ministry.
