“La Ciivise responds to an expectation and a vital need.” The independent commission on incest and violence against children (Ciivise) publishes an analysis this Thursday of the 26,949 testimonies she received in two years. Created at the beginning of 2021, Ciivise has two missions: to collect the voices of victims and to recommend public policies to fight against this scourge, which according to it affects 160,000 children each year.
The organization demands to be able to continue the mission, which must end at the end of December. “Unfortunately the work will not be finished because 160,000 children each year are victims of violence in our country,” declares on franceinfo Édouard Durand, magistrate and co-president of this commission. “27,000 testimonies mean that Ciivise responds to an expectation and a vital need. »
🔎Two years after launching the call for testimonials, today we are publishing an analysis file of the 27,000 testimonies we received.
The CIIVISE has kept its promise: you are no longer alone and we believe you.
👉 Visit our website: https://t.co/VG4YEkSnYz pic.twitter.com/6fXNLUBlq8
— Independent Commission on Incest (@CIIVISE_contact) September 21, 2023
“In almost 50% of testimonies, the confidant does not reure the child”
In its report, the commission highlights society’s denial on the subject of incest. When the child manages to talk about the violence he experiences, “ in almost 50% of testimonies, the confidant does not reure the child : he asks him not to talk about it (27%) and even puts the blame on him (22%),” we can read in the analysis. On the other hand, nearly 6 professionals working in the field of children out of 10 “did not protect the child following the revelation of the violence (58%). » But when they do, they file a complaint in six out of 10 cases.
Among the victims, only one person in 5 has already filed a complaint. And even when the case is brought to court, Édouard Durand recalls that “only 3% of complaints for of minors result in the defendant being convicted”.
“Society constantly sends paradoxical injunctions to victims of violence and the adults who support them,” he laments, “you can reveal the violence, trust us, but we will not protect you and we will say that you’re lying “. The report cites in particular the case of mothers: they are guilty of “negligence” or “complicity” if they do not alert the institutions. But if they take legal action, they are sometimes accused of “lies” and “manipulation”.
“I want the momentum to continue”
Being a victim of violence can have a strong impact on the rest of life, with the appearance of various disorders: more than one in 2 victims develop eating disorders and nearly 4 in 10 victims develop addictions (, medication , alcohol). Figures which drop when the child has been protected. There is a “vital need to be recognized in one’s words, the act of the aggressor is annihilation”, declares Édouard Durand, and “the Civic is this space of security, solidarity and of recognition” for the victims.
In a column published at the beginning of September, around sixty personalities – including Camille Kouchner, Emmanuelle Béart and Christine Angot – called for the maintenance of the commission. A petition on MesOpinions.com exceeded 17,000 signatures. “I want the momentum to continue. But in what form? The President of the Republic will receive the final report from the Ciivise in November and the decisions will then be made,” responds Secretary of State for Children Charlotte Caubel, while “welcoming the quality of the work of the Ciivise”.
It is estimated that in France, 5.5 million adults were victims of violence as children. If you want to share your own story, Ciivise can be reached at 0 805 802 804 in mainland France. At 0 800 100 811 overseas.