Traumatic amnesia among victims of childhood sexual abuse in France 2019
In 2019, it was found that in France, 89 percent of victims of sexual violence as minors had been sexually assaulted (e.g., touched), and 22 percent had been raped.
People who were sexually abused as children can experience an episode of amnesia about the abuse, and, while more than half of the victims never lost their memory about the abuse they suffered, 39 percent experienced a period of traumatic amnesia.
Varying lengths of amnesia
Traumatic amnesia is one of the disorders experienced by some victims of violence, particularly sexual violence. This loss of memory related to the violent event is thought to be a defense mechanism of the brain to protect itself from the stress caused by the assault. People affected by this phenomenon can sometimes take several years before remembering the events, making it difficult to take legal action against their aggressor(s). When surveyed in 2019, more than a quarter of victims with traumatic amnesia had buried their memories of sexual violence for more than 20 years, and nearly three-quarters had done so for more than five years.
A large-scale trauma
Traumatic amnesia is far from being the only consequence of sexual violence committed against minors. Whether the violence was isolated or recurrent, the trauma often remains the same for the victims and impacts all strata of a person's life: sexual, mental, social, familial, professional, and physical. More than half of the victims report having experienced depressive episodes and suffering from anxiety and phobic disorders. More than one in five has attempted to end their lives. Finally, more vulnerable, 30 percent of the victims of sexual violence during their childhood experience sexual aggression again as adults.
Varying lengths of amnesia
Traumatic amnesia is one of the disorders experienced by some victims of violence, particularly sexual violence. This loss of memory related to the violent event is thought to be a defense mechanism of the brain to protect itself from the stress caused by the assault. People affected by this phenomenon can sometimes take several years before remembering the events, making it difficult to take legal action against their aggressor(s). When surveyed in 2019, more than a quarter of victims with traumatic amnesia had buried their memories of sexual violence for more than 20 years, and nearly three-quarters had done so for more than five years.
A large-scale trauma
Traumatic amnesia is far from being the only consequence of sexual violence committed against minors. Whether the violence was isolated or recurrent, the trauma often remains the same for the victims and impacts all strata of a person's life: sexual, mental, social, familial, professional, and physical. More than half of the victims report having experienced depressive episodes and suffering from anxiety and phobic disorders. More than one in five has attempted to end their lives. Finally, more vulnerable, 30 percent of the victims of sexual violence during their childhood experience sexual aggression again as adults.
