Protecting the youngest from abusive relationships

"In France, among young people under the age of 26, 1 in 7 women is a victim of domestic violence."

In October 2020, the Kering Foundation’s partner, En avant toute(s) published its study – available in French - “Une écoute à l’écrit”. The report gives a detailed analysis of the reality of violence experienced by women under 26 years old in France, based on anonymous data from 1,416 conversations collected between November 2019 and June 2020, from their online chat platform “Comment on s’aime”. Among the main findings, the report highlights that most victims are between 16 and 20 years old. This age group accounts for 47% of the victims of violence. The collected data shows that 96.6% of the victims who use the chat are female and that those committing violence are almost exclusively men - 92.9% -, and in 70% of the cases the abuser is older.

The report outlines several reasons why young people are the most at risk of violence:

• The codes of a healthy relationship are not always clear for young people, making it difficult for them to identify an abusive relationship. Psychological and coercive control, as well as cyber harassment are common in this age group and are often justified by "jealousy", which is a trivialized or even romanticized behavior. • Young victims are often in a situation of financial dependence and it can be difficult for them to escape violence committed by family members or their partner. • Few specialist organizations that work on domestic violence are tailored to young people, especially minors. It can be difficult to find information and support for what they are experiencing.

En avant toute(s) is an organization working for gender equality and the end of gender-based violence, by fighting stereotypes and supporting survivors. This innovative organization created the first chat room in France, available on commentonsaime.fr, focused on responding to the needs of young people who are questioning their romantic relationships and the violence they may be experiencing in it.

For more information please visit https://enavanttoutes.fr