More than 1 in 10 French women fall victim to rape: study

About half of the victims were children or teens at the time of abuse

PARIS: About 12% of French women say they have been victim to rape at least once in their lives, according to a poll published on Friday.

The survey, conducted by Foundation Jean Jaures, a Paris-based think tank, polled 2167 women aged 18 and over.



About 12% of the polled women said they had suffered "sexual penetration with violence, coercion or surprise," the legal definition of rape in France.

Of the 12% of victims, 31% said they were raped by their partner, 19% by someone else they know and 17% by a stranger.

About half of the victims were children or teens at the time of the abuse, according to the poll.



In addition to the 12% rape victims, 58% of the polled said they had been subjected to "misplaced behavior" and 43% to "sexual touching or fondling without consent."

The survey echoes recent waves of women breaking silence about their past experiences of sexual violence. The most well-known hashtags of those movements on social media include "MeToo," "MyHarveyWeinstain," "WhatWereYouWearing" and "SurvivorPrivilege."