Three million. That is the number of Italian women ages 16 to 75 - 15.3% of the total - who say they experienced physical or sexual violence before age 16. Behind the numbers lies a familiar pattern: few strangers, many people they knew, and a great deal of silence.

Those are the findings of Istat’s Third Survey on Women’s Safety, based on interviews with 17,500 Italian women and more than 3,100 foreign women. The survey also reveals a new and particularly stark figure: the extent of that silence. Nearly six in 10 victims, 58.4% , never told anyone about the abuse.

Sexual violence against minors, one of the least discussed forms of abuse, is at the center of a new report examining violence against women in Italy. Produced under a 2001 agreement between the Department for Equal Opportunities within the Office of the Prime Minister and Istat, the report offers a periodic look at the scale and nature of violence against women across the country.

The survey identifies four forms of sexual violence experienced by girls and adolescents: being forced to pose naked, either in person or online; being touched in private parts against their will; being forced to touch another person’s private parts; and being forced to have sexual intercourse.

Summarizing the above, 8.2% of Italian women and 3.4% of foreign women say they experienced at least one of these forms of abuse before age 16 — nearly 1.65 million Italian women and more than 72,000 foreign women. Among foreign women, the highest rate is recorded among refugees (6.9%), followed by Romanian and Ukrainian women (4.6%) and Filipino women (3%).

The figure is down from 2014. Among women ages 16 to 70 - the only age group directly comparable with the previous survey - the rate fell from 10.6% to 7.8%. But the problem remains widespread: the European average was 7% in 2021-24, with rates above 10% in Sweden, Luxembourg, Finland, Denmark, the Netherlands and France.

The most common form remains unwanted touching of private parts, reported by 7.2% of Italian women and 2.8% of foreign women. Some 2.1% were forced to touch the perpetrator, 0.8% were forced to have sexual intercourse, and 0.3% were forced to pose naked or send images.

The perpetrators are almost always men, but their profiles vary with the severity of the violence. In cases of unwanted touching, strangers (22.8%), acquaintances (23.7%) and family friends (23%) account for roughly equal shares among Italian women. When the violence involves forced intercourse, however, the share of strangers drops to 9%, while acquaintances (29.1%), friends (24.9%) and other relatives (18.4%) predominate. The more severe the abuse, the closer the perpetrator is.

“It’s a bitter reality from the time they are little girls: the monster is in the home, not some unknown attacker or immigrant,” said Democratic Party Sen. Valeria Valente, a member of the parliamentary committee investigating femicide.

Cristina Almici, a lawmaker with the Fratelli d’Italia party and also a member of the committee, said that “we need to train those who live and work alongside minors - teachers, pediatricians, educators and sports professionals - by providing clear reporting procedures and protected channels for children to speak up.”

Sen. Cecilia D’Elia, the committee’s vice chair, said she was struck “by how early women experience violence” and believes that “schools need sex and relationship education.” Lawmakers from the Five Star Movement who serve on the committee are also calling for it in a joint statement signed by Stefania Ascari, Anna Bilotti, Alessandra Maiorino and Daniela Morfino. “Prevention can no longer wait and must begin in childhood,” they wrote.

The survey also measures physical violence experienced before age 16. At least 9.2% of Italian women and 9.6% of foreign women say they experienced some form of it. The most common were pushing, grabbing and slapping (8.1%-9.3%). More serious forms — beatings, kicking and injuries — affected 3.1%-3.3% women.

Among perpetrators of at least one act of physical violence, fathers or stepfathers were the most commonly cited (27.3% of Italian women and 36.6% of foreign women). Violence by mothers was also significant, reported by 28% of Italian women and 43.5% of foreign women.

The new Istat report also contains another sobering finding: women who experienced violence as children are almost twice as likely to experience violence again as adults.

For too many women, childhood violence leaves a mark that never fades.

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