Overview
- The SSMSI figures published Friday showed 290,200 minor victims recorded by police and gendarmerie in 2025, up 77% from 2016 and representing 9% of all recorded victims.
- Sexual offences against minors rose 156% over ten years and physical violence rose 112%, while non-violent property offences against minors fell by about 50%.
- The number of minors recorded as accused fell 15% to 232,300, yet accused minors for sexual offences rose 132% and accused for drug trafficking rose 55%.
- Recorded minors suspected of simple drug use dropped sharply (‑58%), a shift that the ministry links to the introduction of the amende forfaitaire délictuelle for possession.
- The data show gendered patterns with 53% of minor victims female and 88% of minors accused male, and SSMSI warns these are police-recorded incidents not direct measures of true prevalence.