Each day, four minors report being victims of sexual assault in Belgium.
A third of them are under ten. Approximately one in ten young girls under 18 are at some point faced with rape or attempted rape. In 85% of cases, someone close to them is the perpetrator, reveals data from Vrouwenraad (the Belgium Council of Women) and the association “Wij Spreken Voor Onszelf” (a platform for rape victims) which De Morgen has consulted.
Both organisations have been compiling all available figures for sexual assault in Belgium, in particular those less widely known relating to victims who are minors.
These organisations wish to break the silence surrounding this type of violence. They say that the actual number of rape and sexual assault cases is far more significant than has been reported. “We estimate that only one third of victims who are minors speak of what happens to them,” they explain in the newspaper.
(Source: Belga)
