The number of reported victims of sexual violence on public transport hit a record high in France last year, a report has revealed. The study, which was published by the National Observatory on Violence Against Women on Monday, found that the annual number of victims had increased by 86% since 2016. In 2024, 3,374 victims of sexual violence on public transport were recorded by the police, 6% higher than the previous year and 9% above the figures seen in 2022, according to the report. The forms of abuse highlighted by the study included sexual harassment as well as rape and attempted rape. More than nine out of every 10 victims were women, with 75% of them aged under 30. The most affected area of the country was the Île-de-France region, where 44% of all incidents were recorded and where seven out of ten women said they have experienced sexual violence on public transport at some point in their lives. Manon Marguerit, an urban planning researcher at Gustave-Eiffel University, said: "The perpetrators that always come to mind are exhibitionists and gropers. It is true that certain characteristics of public transport spaces — such as confinement, overcrowding, and the inability to escape from the vehicle — can lead to these specific forms of sexual violence." "These incidents are a reality, but they dominate public perception, overshadowing other forms of violence," she noted, citing sexist insults and unwanted touching as two examples. "Too often dismissed as trivial, these behaviors can cause significant trauma to those who experience them," Marguerit said. The report said that 96% of perpetrators were men, while 21% of cases were committed by multiple people. It added that many women were reluctant to report abuse, fearing they would not be taken seriously or that the authorities would be unable to act. As a result, only 7% of victims file a police report, according to the study. The report also found that more than one-third of victims reported feeling ashamed, while 70% felt anger and 60% expressed a desire for societal change. Many women who take public transport adopt avoidance strategies, such as altering their routes, travel times or even their clothing, the report found. Between 2005 and 2024, 152 cases of sexual violence by drivers of ambulances, buses, and school transport were recorded, with 67% of victims being minors and 23% being individuals with disabilities. The National Observatory on Violence Against Women called for stricter background checks and enhanced monitoring of transport workers to prevent repeat offenders from remaining in positions of authority. — Euronews
