Nine out of ten girls enlisted in prostitution were still minors and had previously suffered violence within their family, according to a study carried out by the Observatory of violence against women in Seine-Saint-Denis.
"
These are 101 victim files followed by the Child welfare which were examined
", specifies in
Figaro,
Ernestine Ronai president of the observatory.
From 7,000 to 10,000 adolescents would be affected by this scourge in France.
To read also From all walks of life, sometimes from 12 years old… The prostitution of minors has increased by 70%
This study published on November 23, a few days before the international day against violence against women on the 25th, aims to "
make this scourge better understood and explained
", underlines Ernestine Ronai. She regrets that 99% of these minors have faced violence before prostitution, around the age of 12 on average. Before selling their bodies, the report notes that seven out of ten girls have already suffered sexual violence. Among them, "one
in eight minors has suffered sexual violence within her family, mainly by their father or stepfather, for one in six convictions
", specifies the Observatory.
Half of these young girls have also been “
co-victims
” of domestic violence suffered by their mother.
“
What emerges from this study is that we do not fall into prostitution by chance.
These teenage girls already have a chaotic life course.
Vulnerable and traumatized, they are led to adopt risky attitudes
, ”argues Ernestine Ronai.
Read alsoFaced with the scourge of underage prostitution, the Parisian PJ creates a specialized investigation group
In addition, this study reveals that “
four out of ten underage girls are unaware that they are prostituting themselves.
A third of them trivialize these acts.
“
At 25 passes a day on average, these prostituted girls between the ages of 11 and 15 are under the influence of a boyfriend or ex-boyfriend between the ages of 18 and 25
,” says the president of the observatory.
But the majority of pimps escape justice, because only 3% are convicted.
One in four prostitutes will themselves engage in pimping.
Read also An interministerial plan to curb the increase in child prostitution
Prostitution physically and psychologically ruins the lives of these minors followed by child welfare (ASE).
Out of school, losing their bearings, "they
have an image of themselves devalued, in particular by their pimp who blows hot and cold, between emotional dependence and denigration
", indicates to
Figaro
Ernestine Ronai.
Six in ten minors have been hospitalized and one in four girls has attempted suicide at least once by entering into prostitution.
A similar study carried out in 2019
In 2019, the Observatory of Violence against Women of Seine-Saint-Denis had already drawn up an alarming picture on the prostitution of minors.
The study was based on 19 files from children's judges at the Bobigny court and analyzed around forty reports from child protection.
The statistics were very worrying: 89% of young girls "
under the influence
" of prostitution had been victims of violence in the past, including 40% of physical and sexual violence, perpetrated within the home.
Finally, the mothers of 61% of the minors had been confronted with domestic violence.
