Mediapart publishes a terrifying investigation into victims of sexual violence in nursing homes

The one that Mediapart has just published is a chilling investigation. A survey that shows how women, even in retirement homes where they should be able to end their days in safety, are victims of rape and sexual violence. “Residents in nursing homes, vulnerable and often kept silent about their state of health, are in fact “easy prey”, according to all the experts interviewed by Mediapart. »

Numerous victims potentially “ monstrous »

According to this survey, a hundred residents of Ehpad (Hospitality for non self-sufficient elderly people) have been sexually assaulted in France since 2013. A figure that could be much higher, “ monstrous » same, according to the Ministry of Solidarity. Mediapart reports that between 2020 and 2021 the number of reports received by Alma, the association on abuse of the elderly and people with disabilities, “it’s more than doubled”. Does this mean that the number of victims has also doubled or is it a consequence of free speech? “The taboo on sexual assault experienced by older women is even greater than for other audiences and the #MeToo of older people is still ahead of us”replies the Ministry of Solidarity.

The double penalty

Because of their fragile state of health, victims of sexual assault in nursing homes do not always have the opportunity to report that they have been attacked. ” It is no coincidence that most of these cases occur with a flagrante delicto, the victims rendered mute or unconscious by their pathology are rarely able to testify.can be read in the columns of Mediapart. What’s more, even when the assault is known and brought to court, the victims don’t always have the time to know if they have been served justice. “Considering the average age of nursing home residents (82 years), their state of dependency (80% are affected by coherence disorders and 40% by neurodegenerative diseases) and the slowness of justice, those who obtain righteousness before death”reveals the investigation again.

The attackers within the staff itself

According to Mediapart, the information collected on this topic is scarce. But according to data collected over the past 10 years, and confirmed by Alma’s estimates, “46% of publicized rapes and sexual assaults were committed by staff members.” In more or less equal numbers, the attackers would also be residents of retirement homes, exclusively men.

Finally, a small percentage refers to aggressors outside the nursing home, including family members of the victim. These data highlight the lack of security for residents, especially for women. A further sign of the systemic nature of the gender-based and sexual violence they suffer throughout their lives.

Feature photo credit: AlexRaths of Getty Images via Canva