Universitat de Barcelona
Universitat de Barcelona
03/20/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 03/20/2024 04:35
El 17,8 % dels joves espanyols han patit algun tipus de victimització sexual l’últim any
17.8% of young Spaniards have suffered some form of sexual victimisation this last year
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- Sexual victimisation in Spain is more frequent in girls (24%) than in boys (11.2%), although the latter group more frequently reports severe forms, including penetration or oral sex by known or unknown adults.
- The study, led by Noemí Pereda, director of the Research Group on Child and Adolescent Victimisation (GReVIA) at the University of Barcelona, identifies electronic sexual victimisation as the most frequent among Spanish adolescents (12.1%).
UB Professor Noemí Pereda, author of the report.
News|Divulgation
20/03/2024
A study shows that 17.8% of young Spaniards have suffered some form of sexual victimisation in the last year. This victimisation is more prevalent in girls (24 %) than in boys (11.2 %), although the latter group more frequently reports grave forms, including penetration or oral sex by adults, known and unknown. This is the main conclusion of this first study carried out in Spain with a representative sample of the country on sexual victimisation in adolescence, led by Noemí Pereda, director of the Research Group on Child and Adolescent Victimisation (GReVIA) at the University of Barcelona. The report was presented as part of the conference "Radiografía y prevención de la violencia en adolescents", which took place at CaixaForum Madrid.
UB Professor Noemí Pereda, author of the report.
News|Divulgation
20/03/2024
A study shows that 17.8% of young Spaniards have suffered some form of sexual victimisation in the last year. This victimisation is more prevalent in girls (24 %) than in boys (11.2 %), although the latter group more frequently reports grave forms, including penetration or oral sex by adults, known and unknown. This is the main conclusion of this first study carried out in Spain with a representative sample of the country on sexual victimisation in adolescence, led by Noemí Pereda, director of the Research Group on Child and Adolescent Victimisation (GReVIA) at the University of Barcelona. The report was presented as part of the conference "Radiografía y prevención de la violencia en adolescents", which took place at CaixaForum Madrid.
The results were drawn from the responses of a sample of 4,024 boys and girls aged between fourteen and seventeen, from seventy schools in Spain, distributed representatively among all the autonomous communities.
The results
The study also categorises the most frequent forms of sexual victimisation among Spanish adolescents. Electronic victimisation is the most frequent (12.1%) and is reported by 5.9% of boys and 18.3% of girls. It is followed (with 8.8%) by sexual victimisation by peers, affecting 5.9% of boys and 11% of girls. This is followed by sexual victimisation with physical contact by adults, which reaches 3.1% and has a similar impact on boys and girls. Finally, sexual exploitation involving the exchange of sex for rewards, such as gifts and money, impacts 2.6% and it is similar for boys and girls.
For boys, some types of victimisation were significantly more frequent, such as sexual victimisation with penetration or oral sex by an adult person known (1% compared to 0.3% for girls) and unknown (1% compared to 0.4% for girls), as well as sexual exploitation with penetration (1.2% compared to 0.5% for girls).
In terms of sexual victimisation with physical contact by known adults, the main perpetrators of victimisation - touching, oral sex or penetration - were parents, followed by another adult family figure. In terms of physical sexual victimisation by peers or minors, the most frequent assaults came from peers or friends at school, followed by other boys and girls who are not part of the nuclear family.
Regarding the means of contact with the victims, it is highlighted that the most common form of contact is online contact for the generation of materials of a sexual nature as opposed to face-to-face contact. In this type of sexual exploitation, contact was mostly made through social networks such as Instagram or messaging applications such as WhatsApp. In cases of exploitation involving touching, penetration or oral sex, the most frequent form of contact was in person, whether on the street, at school or at home.
The results
The study also categorises the most frequent forms of sexual victimisation among Spanish adolescents. Electronic victimisation is the most frequent (12.1%) and is reported by 5.9% of boys and 18.3% of girls. It is followed (with 8.8%) by sexual victimisation by peers, affecting 5.9% of boys and 11% of girls. This is followed by sexual victimisation with physical contact by adults, which reaches 3.1% and has a similar impact on boys and girls. Finally, sexual exploitation involving the exchange of sex for rewards, such as gifts and money, impacts 2.6% and it is similar for boys and girls.
For boys, some types of victimisation were significantly more frequent, such as sexual victimisation with penetration or oral sex by an adult person known (1% compared to 0.3% for girls) and unknown (1% compared to 0.4% for girls), as well as sexual exploitation with penetration (1.2% compared to 0.5% for girls).
In terms of sexual victimisation with physical contact by known adults, the main perpetrators of victimisation - touching, oral sex or penetration - were parents, followed by another adult family figure. In terms of physical sexual victimisation by peers or minors, the most frequent assaults came from peers or friends at school, followed by other boys and girls who are not part of the nuclear family.
Regarding the means of contact with the victims, it is highlighted that the most common form of contact is online contact for the generation of materials of a sexual nature as opposed to face-to-face contact. In this type of sexual exploitation, contact was mostly made through social networks such as Instagram or messaging applications such as WhatsApp. In cases of exploitation involving touching, penetration or oral sex, the most frequent form of contact was in person, whether on the street, at school or at home.
"It is essential to integrate training on sexual victimization in the university curricula".
The relevance of the study
The study carried out by GReVIA represents a before and after in the analysis of sexual victimisation in Spanish adolescents, as it facilitates the approach to a problem of high sexual relevance but still largely unknown in Spain. The studies carried out so far on sexual violence are retrospective - adults have been asked about their experiences in childhood and adolescence, or regional - and cannot be extrapolated to the rest of the country.
Pereda notes that "violence against children and adolescents is based on inequality according to the asymmetry of age between victim and perpetrator and not according to the gender of the victims although, from an intersectional perspective, gender increases the risk of sexual violence in girls and adolescents".
The UB professor points out that an important and little-studied problem in Spain is "sexual exploitation, which affects 2.5% of girls and 2.3% of boys". "The figures in Europe are between 1.5% and 2%, so the Spanish reality exceeds this higher range", states Pereda.
Actions
The results of the study should be used to raise awareness among political, social, educational and other actors on the magnitude of the problem and be translated into concrete action plans.
In the field of information and counselling, the authors of the study propose disseminating information on the available resources in cases of victimization, publicising the protocols and guidelines to follow in case of being a victim or a witness, and creating support and accompaniment guides for the victim's family members.
Also, they stress the importance of promoting a national campaign to raise social awareness about this problem and organize educational activities on sexual violence in community spaces.
Regarding training, it is essential to "integrate training on sexual victimization in the university curricula, train teachers to identify warning signs and take actions, and include in the state school curricula programs on integral sexual education and a safe use of the internet", concludes Pereda.
Reference article: Pereda, N.; Guilera, G.; Águila-Otero, A.; Andreu, L.; Codina, M., y Díaz-Faes, D. A. (2024). "La victimización sexual en la adolescencia: un estudio nacional desde la perspectiva de la juventud española". Barcelona. Universitat de Barcelona.
The study carried out by GReVIA represents a before and after in the analysis of sexual victimisation in Spanish adolescents, as it facilitates the approach to a problem of high sexual relevance but still largely unknown in Spain. The studies carried out so far on sexual violence are retrospective - adults have been asked about their experiences in childhood and adolescence, or regional - and cannot be extrapolated to the rest of the country.
Pereda notes that "violence against children and adolescents is based on inequality according to the asymmetry of age between victim and perpetrator and not according to the gender of the victims although, from an intersectional perspective, gender increases the risk of sexual violence in girls and adolescents".
The UB professor points out that an important and little-studied problem in Spain is "sexual exploitation, which affects 2.5% of girls and 2.3% of boys". "The figures in Europe are between 1.5% and 2%, so the Spanish reality exceeds this higher range", states Pereda.
Actions
The results of the study should be used to raise awareness among political, social, educational and other actors on the magnitude of the problem and be translated into concrete action plans.
In the field of information and counselling, the authors of the study propose disseminating information on the available resources in cases of victimization, publicising the protocols and guidelines to follow in case of being a victim or a witness, and creating support and accompaniment guides for the victim's family members.
Also, they stress the importance of promoting a national campaign to raise social awareness about this problem and organize educational activities on sexual violence in community spaces.
Regarding training, it is essential to "integrate training on sexual victimization in the university curricula, train teachers to identify warning signs and take actions, and include in the state school curricula programs on integral sexual education and a safe use of the internet", concludes Pereda.
Reference article: Pereda, N.; Guilera, G.; Águila-Otero, A.; Andreu, L.; Codina, M., y Díaz-Faes, D. A. (2024). "La victimización sexual en la adolescencia: un estudio nacional desde la perspectiva de la juventud española". Barcelona. Universitat de Barcelona.
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