{"id":8245,"date":"2026-05-11T15:54:40","date_gmt":"2026-05-11T19:54:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/marie-vincent.org\/agressions-sexuelles-envers-les-jeunes-un-nouveau-sondage-revele-une-realite-preoccupante\/"},"modified":"2026-05-12T15:18:34","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T19:18:34","slug":"agressions-sexuelles-envers-les-jeunes-un-nouveau-sondage-revele-une-realite-preoccupante","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/marie-vincent.org\/en\/nouvelles\/agressions-sexuelles-envers-les-jeunes-un-nouveau-sondage-revele-une-realite-preoccupante\/","title":{"rendered":"Sexual abuse of\u00a0children and\u00a0youth:\u00a0A new survey reveals a troubling reality\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Montr\u00e9al,\u00a0May\u00a011<\/span><\/b>th<\/span><\/b>,\u00a02026\u00a0\u2013<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/b>Nearly\u00a0one in\u00a0three\u00a0women\u00a0and one in five men report\u00a0having\u00a0experienced\u00a0at least one instant of\u00a0sexual\u00a0abuse\u00a0before\u00a0the\u00a0age\u00a0of 18. The\u00a0average\u00a0age\u00a0of the first abuse\u00a0was\u00a011 and a\u00a0half\u00a0years\u00a0old.\u00a0These\u00a0are the\u00a0findings\u00a0of a\u00a0survey\u00a0of 1,000 Quebec\u00a0adults\u00a0conducted\u00a0by Synopsis in November 2025 on\u00a0behalf\u00a0of Marie-Vincent and the Marie-Vincent\u00a0Interuniversity\u00a0Research\u00a0Chair in Child\u00a0Sexual\u00a0Abuse.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A silence that weighs heavily and with long-term consequences<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

This survey confirms that sexual violence\u00a0remains\u00a0far too widespread. It also highlights the fact that it occurs\u00a0predominantly within\u00a0the victims\u2019 social circles, a reality that can make it more difficult to\u00a0disclose\u00a0the abuse.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In fact, only half of\u00a0victims\u00a0disclose\u00a0the abuse they experienced. When disclosure does occur, it happens in adulthood, on average at age 19, 8 years after the first abuse. This silence has significant consequences and calls for an urgent collective response, especially given that 78% of victims report receiving no professional support following the abuse.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Without\u00a0appropriate intervention, the consequences can be severe and long-lasting: young victims who have received no support\u00a0exhibit\u00a0more symptoms of post-traumatic stress, anxiety, depression, and dissociation, as well as difficulties with emotional regulation<\/span>1<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe work of the Marie-Vincent Chair has confirmed this for the past 20 years: early intervention makes a real difference. Appropriate support can promote the recovery of young victims, and effective prevention programs help facilitate disclosure and build a community that is aware and well-equipped to support children and guide them toward the right resources\u201d,<\/span><\/i><\/b>\u00a0says Martine H\u00e9bert, Ph.D., tenured professor in the Department of Sexology at the Universit\u00e9 du Qu\u00e9bec \u00e0 Montr\u00e9al and co-holder of the Research Chair.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Giving ourselves the means to act<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

For over 20\u00a0years, the Marie-Vincent Centre of Expertise has been active on all fronts,\u00a0supported\u00a0by\u00a0its\u00a0own\u00a0interuniversity\u00a0research\u00a0chair.\u00a0Each\u00a0year,\u00a0it\u00a0provides\u00a0specialized\u00a0clinical\u00a0services to\u00a0hundreds\u00a0of\u00a0young\u00a0people and\u00a0their\u00a0families\u00a0at\u00a0its\u00a0two\u00a0centers in Montreal and in Mont\u00e9r\u00e9gie. It\u00a0develops\u00a0prevention\u00a0programs and\u00a0offers\u00a0a\u00a0wide\u00a0range of\u00a0specialized\u00a0training courses\u00a0that\u00a0reach\u00a0more\u00a0than\u00a06,000\u00a0professionals\u00a0every\u00a0year\u00a0in the\u00a0health,\u00a0education, socio-judicial, and\u00a0community\u00a0sectors.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Given these findings,\u00a0it is clear that Marie-Vincent\u2019s\u00a0mission\u00a0remains\u00a0more essential than ever. A pioneer in Quebec, the organization continues to weave a genuine safety net around young people by focusing on collaboration and coordination with\u00a0numerous\u00a0partners, for the benefit of the entire community.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

To meet the scale of these needs, Marie-Vincent is preparing to launch a major fundraising campaign with the goal of raising $15 million over three years.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe must act now. Marie-Vincent has shown that with the right services, we can change the course of people\u2019s lives. We want to provide equal and\u00a0timely\u00a0access to specialized services, better equip professionals, parents, and communities to recognize and support victims, and help build a Quebec that truly protects its children. This requires strong mobilization and partners and donors committed to standing with us\u201d,<\/span><\/i><\/b>\u00a0says\u00a0Lisa Clowery, president and CEO\u00a0of\u00a0Marie-Vincent.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

About Marie-Vincent<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

Marie-Vincent supports children and adolescents who are victims of sexual violence by offering them, under one roof and in collaboration with its partners, the services they need. We help prevent violence by focusing on education and awareness, and by helping children with sexual behavior problems.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

To learn more, visit\u00a0<\/span>marie-vincent.org\/en\/<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

About the Marie-Vincent Interuniversity Research Chair in Child Sexual Abuse<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Established in 2005, it is now a national and international leader in the prevention, detection, and intervention for young victims of sexual abuse. Its research directly contributes to Marie-Vincent’s clinical practices and prevention programs, ensuring that every intervention is grounded in the most recent scientific data. The Chair also contributes to the training of the next generation of specialized clinicians and researchers.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Media Contact<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

M\u00e9gane Roy-Blanchette<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

mroy-blanchette@exponentiel.ca<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

450-578-1623<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Marie-Vincent<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Walid Benahmed<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Organizational Communications Advisor<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

514-226-0214<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tKey Facts About Sexual Violence<\/span>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDownload the data<\/span>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":8194,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[154],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8245","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chaire-de-recherche"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/marie-vincent.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8245","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/marie-vincent.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/marie-vincent.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marie-vincent.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marie-vincent.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8245"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/marie-vincent.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8245\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8403,"href":"https:\/\/marie-vincent.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8245\/revisions\/8403"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marie-vincent.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8194"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/marie-vincent.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8245"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marie-vincent.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8245"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marie-vincent.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8245"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}