Rape in France

Rape has been documented across French history. Georges Vigarello in his 2001 book writes about the history of rape in France, highlighting events from 16th to 20th century. He states that rape has historically been seen as a form of violence, but not punished as such.[1]

Annual rape and all forms of sexual assaults per 100,000 people.

In 1971, the rate of declared rapes stood at 2.0 per 100,000 people.[2] In 1995, it was 12.5.[3] In 2009, it stood at 16.2.[4]

According to a 2012 report, about 75,000 rapes take place each year.[5] In 2012, there were 1,293 reported rapes in a population of 66 million,[6] and 1,188 rapes in 2013 in a population of 66 million.[7]

The alleged rape of young black man Théodore Luhaka (aka Théo) by the police with a baton took place in the Aulnay-sous-Bois (Seine-Saint-Denis), a Paris suburb. Following the incident, Luhaka suffered from a longitudinal 10 cm wound to his anal canal and sphincter muscle, probably caused by the insertion of a telescopic stick, which resulted in a temporary disability (ITT) of sixty days.[8] This resulted in riots and protests taking place between 4 and 15 February 2017,[9] Following the initial reports of the assault on Théo, there was unrest for two nights in Aulnay-sous-Bois. Several cars were lit on fire, bus shelters had windows smashed and suburb had its street lighting knocked out. Five people were arrested.[10] The unrest later spread to other suburbs of Paris. On Saturday 11 February, a crowd of people gathered to protest police brutality in Bobigny. While the protest was mostly peaceful, a small group of protestors began throwing objects at police and setting cars on fire. Police responded by deploying tear gas and arresting 37 people.[11] The next night, 12 February, around 50 youths gathered in Argenteuil and began throwing objects at police. They also set cars and garbage bins on fire and attacked a public bus. The group assault the bus's driver and also assaulted a journalist. 11 people, eight of them minors, were arrested.[12]

On the night of the 15th, 49 people were arrested around Paris after engaging in similar behaviors with most of the unrest occurring near the Gare du Nord and Place de la République. 21 people were also arrested in Rouen the same night.[13]

French president François Hollande visited Théo in the hospital on 7 February.[14] A policeman told Le Parisien that events were similar to the 2005 French riots.[15] Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve, called for better law enforcement on 7 February 2017, saying "I know how exposed the police and gendarmes are in the fight against terrorism and violence, but they must be absolutely exemplary at every moment."[16][17]

According to a 2014 report, about 5,000 to 7,000 of the rapes are gang rapes.[18] Gang-rapes are referred to as tournantes, or "pass-arounds".[19][20] One of the first people to bring public attention to the culture of gang rape was Samira Bellil, who published a book called Dans l'enfer des tournantes ("In Gang Rape Hell").[19][20]

• Gilles de Rais (1404–1440) - Convicted of rape, murder, he was executed.[21]
• Pierre Chanal (1946–2003) - French soldier, convicted of rape and kidnapping, he received a ten-year jail sentence.[22]
• Émile Louis (1934–2013) - Sentenced to life imprisonment in 2004.[23]
• Michel Fourniret (1942–) - Convicted in 1987 for rape, and assault of minors.[24]
• Joseph Vacher (1869–1898) - Convicted of murder, rape. Executed in December 1898.[25]
• Roman Polanski (1933–) - Actor, convicted of raping a 13-year-old.[26]
• Guy Georges (1962–) - Raped and murdered about seven women. Sentenced to life imprisonment in 2001.[27]

• Abortion in France
• Dans l'enfer des tournantes ("In Gang Rape Hell")
• Feminism in France
• Human rights in France
• LGBT rights in France
• Ministry of Women's Rights (France)
• Ni Putes Ni Soumises
• Rape of males
• Women's rights

General:

• Crime in France

• Vigarello, Georges (2001). A History of Rape: Sexual Violence in France from the 16th to the 20th Century. Wiley. ISBN 9780745621692.