Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 Sep 18:34:100731.
doi: 10.1016/j.lanepe.2023.100731. eCollection 2023 Nov.

Incidence of sexual violence among recently arrived asylum-seeking women in France: a retrospective cohort study

Jérémy Khouani  1   2 , Marion Landrin  2 , Rachel Cohen Boulakia  2 , Sarah Tahtah  3 , Gaëtan Gentile  2   4 , Anne Desrues  1 , Marine Vengeon  3 , Anderson Loundou  1   5 , Adriaan Barbaroux  3 , Pascal Auquier  1   5 , Maeva Jego  1   2
Affiliations

Incidence of sexual violence among recently arrived asylum-seeking women in France: a retrospective cohort study

Jérémy Khouani et al. Lancet Reg Health Eur. .

Abstract

Background: The prevention of sexual violence (SV) occurring shortly after arrival in host countries towards female asylum seekers requires knowledge about its incidence. We aimed to determine the incidence of SV and its associated factors during the past year of living in France among asylum-seeking females who had arrived more than one year earlier but less than two years.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study using a life-event survey of asylum-seeking females who had been registered in southern France by the Office for Immigration for more than one year but less than two. The primary outcome was the occurrence of SV during the past year, weighted by the deviation in age and geographical origin of our sample from all females registered. The nature of SV was noted, and associated factors were explored by a logistic regression model.

Findings: Between October 1, 2021, and March 31, 2022, 273 females were included. Eighty-four females experienced SV during the past year of living in France (26.3% weighted [95% CI, 24-28.8]), 17 of whom were raped (4.8% weighted [95% CI, 3.7-6.1]). Being a victim of SV prior to arrival in France (202, 75.7%) was associated with the occurrence of SV after arrival (OR = 4.6 [95% CI, 1.8-11.3]). Lack of support for accommodation was associated with se.xual assault (OR = 2.6 [95% CI, 1.3-5.1]).

Interpretation: The months following arrival in a European host country among asylum-seeking females appear to be a period of high incidence of SV; even higher for those who previously experienced SV prior to arrival. Reception conditions without support for accommodation seem to increase exposure to sexual assault.

Funding: DGOS-GIRCI.

Keywords: Asylum seekers; Europe; Incidence; Sexual violence.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

We declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Flow chart.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Multivariate analysis.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. High Commissioner for Refugees . United Nations; 2020. UNHCR global report - forced displacement in 2020; p. 123.https://www.unhcr.org/flagship-reports/globaltrends/ URL:
    1. World health organisation . 2018. The health of refugees and migrants in the WHO European region; p. 114.https://www.euro.who.int/fr/publications/html/report-on-the-health-of-re... URL:
    1. Eurostat . 2022. Annual asylum statistics.https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Annua... URL:
    1. Office Francais de protection des refugiés et des apatrides. Rapport d’activité. 2021:140. https://www.ofpra.gouv.fr/publications/les-rapports-dactivite URL:
    1. High Commissioner for Refugees . 2020. UNHCR policy on the prevention of, risk mitigation and response to gender-based violence; p. 24.https://www.unhcr.org/5fa018914/unhcr-policy-prevention-risk-mitigation-... URL:

LinkOut - more resources