National Survey on Violence Against Women in France (ENVEFF)
L'enquête nationale sur les violences envers les femmes en France
Issues in terms of retrieving raw data
Draw also on survey data
Used as indicator
Proportion of women reporting domestic violence during the last 12 months, according to partnership situation at the time of the survey: Verbal insults and threats among which repeated Emotional blackmail; Psychological pressure among which repeated among which psychological harassment; Physical aggression among which repeated; Rape and other forced sexual act; Global indicator of domestic violence.
The ENVEFF survey, commissioned by the Service des Droits des Femmes (Office of Women’s Rights) and the French State Secretariat for Women’s Rights follows the recommendations made to governments in 1995 at the World Conference on Women in Beijing, namely to “produce detailed statistics concerning violence against women”. The survey was coordinated by the Institute of Demography of the University of Paris I (IDUP) and conducted by a multidisciplinary team of researchers from the CNRS, INED, INSERM, and the universities. The survey was conducted by telephone between March and July 2000 with a representative sample of 6,970 women aged 20 to 59, living in metropolitan France but not in an institution. In order to earn the respondents’ trust, questions concerning violence only came after a first part, or module, devoted to contextual (economic, social, family, housing situation, etc.), biographical and health information. The questionnaire was designed so as to bring up the subject of violence very gradually and encourage the person to remember events that may have happened long ago. Violence was never named as such, since each module collected information concerning facts that were not qualified as violent and that had occurred in the past twelve months. The survey also investigated violent events experienced in the respondent’s more distant past. The answers showed different degrees of awareness, depending on generation and social background, especially as concerns psychological abuse. Thus, a qualitative study conducted with the interviewers revealed that most respondents had a tendency to minimize events; however, the younger and more educated women found it easier to talk about violent events. Among the women not covered by this survey, one group is most certainly strongly affected by all problems related to violence: these are women living in hostels and emergency shelters, or homeless women; their number in metropolitan France is evaluated at about 14 to 15,000 at the most.
Data available on
Perpetrator
This statistical product does not collect information on Perpetrator
Incident
Incident
First statistical survey ever carried out on this topic in this country. In order to understand the phenomenon in all its various aspects, the survey takes into account all forms of violence perpetrated against women, regardless of the offender’s identity. Verbal, psychological, physical and sexual abuse experienced by women interviewed in the last twelve months in public areas, at work, in their relationships with their partner or with family and friends. For other types of abuse, such as insults, denigration, contempt, control and other forms of psychological pressure, the situation of domination is created through the accumulation of events which, if taken separately, might seem quite trivial. For this reason, in order to establish a scale of these forms of abuse, the indicators must combine both the frequency and the nature of the events. Thus, at home or at work, the maximum degree of psychological abuse, or “moral harassment”, corresponds to a situation where insidious acts and humiliating words are constantly repeated.
Criminal statistics on sexual violence
Criminal statistical data included
Characteristics
Reference period
No information available
Frequency of updating
New survey on gender violence has been under way in France since 2012. Conducted by the INED, it will involve both sexes, and its large sample (17,500 women and as many men) will also allow to investigate the phenomenon of violence in smaller social groups.
Validation
No information available
Compilation
The survey was conducted by telephone between March and July 2000 with a representative sample of 6,970 women aged 20 to 59, living in metropolitan France but not in an institution.
Quality assurance process
The survey was conducted by telephone between March and July 2000 with a representative sample of 6,970 women aged 20 to 59, living in metropolitan France but not in an institution. In order to earn the respondents’ trust, questions concerning violence only came after a first part, or module, devoted to contextual (economic, social, family, housing situation, etc.), biographical and health information.
Accuracy
Problems. Phone survey is a limitation but the sample of women was representative
Reliability
Good. Reliability. Survey conducted by a team of statisticians/experts gender violence
Timeliness
Good. several months between the observations and the results availability, but it's not a real problem.
Comparability
- Geographical
- Over time
- None
A comparable new survey on gender violence has been under way in France since 2012.
Current developments
A new survey on gender violence has been under way in France since 2012. Conducted by the INED, it will involve both sexes, and its large sample (17,500 women and as many men) will also allow to investigate the phenomenon of violence in smaller social groups. It will develop typologies of victims by linking violence and life histories.
External link
Data collected on the verbal, physical, psychological and sexual abuse, suffered during the last 12 months preceding the survey (conducted from March to July 2000), the physical violence suffered since the age of 18 and sexual violence sustained throughout life.