Child Sexual Abuse in the Roman Catholic Church in France: Prevalence and Comparison With Other Social Spheres.

This study aims to estimate and compare Roman Catholic Church-related child sexual abuse (CSA) prevalence and characteristics to CSA in other social spheres in France since 1950. Using a cross-sectional representative web-based survey of 28,026 adults in 2021, the weighted prevalence of CSA was estimated according to six social spheres of perpetration: family, Church, school, sports club, artistic activities, and summer camps. Altogether, 14.60%, 95% confidence interval [CI: 13.41; 15.80] of female respondents and 6.38% [5.73; 7.03] of male respondents had experienced CSA. Family was the most common social sphere of perpetration (3.55% [3.18; 3.92]), followed by the Church (0.81% [0.62; 0.99] of respondents exposed) and public schools (0.32% [0.23; 0.40] of respondents exposed). Altogether, we estimate 213,000, 95% CI [147,000; 278,000] people were victims of Church CSA since 1950 in France. Church CSA was more common among men than women (1.28% [0.93; 1.64] vs. 0.34% [0.20; 0.48]) while the opposite was true for other social spheres. CSA was overwhelmingly perpetrated by men ranging from 93.37% in the Church to 97.65% in schools. Many victims spoke with someone about these abuses: 41.81% of the Catholic Church compared to 41.25% of school CSA victims and 51.68% of family CSA victims. Results suggest structural factors including gender norms, but also the spiritual authority of the priest and the culture of secrecy contribute to clerical CSA.

Women's experiences of self-administration of misoprostol at home as part of early medical abortion: a qualitative evaluation.

BACKGROUND: Between 2017 and 2019, legislation was introduced in the UK that approved the home as a place for self-administration of misoprostol for early medical abortion. While research has shown that early medical abortion at home is as safe as in a clinical setting, women's experiences in the UK in the light of this change have not yet been investigated. This qualitative research explored the experiences of women in one region of Scotland, UK who accessed early medical abortion with home self-administration of misoprostol. METHODS: Qualitative interviews were conducted with 20 women who had recently undergone early medical abortion (≤69 days' gestation) with home self-administration of misoprostol. The data were analysed thematically using an approach informed by the Framework analytic approach. RESULTS: Women appreciated the flexibility that home administration of misoprostol offered, including the opportunity to control the timing of the abortion. This was particularly important for women who sought not to disclose the abortion to others. Most women valued being in the comfort and privacy of the home when preparing for self-administration, although a small number highlighted some concerns about being at home. Most women reported that self-administration of misoprostol was straightforward; however, some expressed concerns around assessing whether their experiences were 'normal'. CONCLUSIONS: Women welcomed the opportunity for home self-administration of misoprostol. To further improve women's early medical abortion experience we suggest that the legislation be amended so that women can self-administer in an appropriate non-clinical setting, not just their home.

[From testimony to advocacy: a humanitarian NGO's experience]. / Du témoignage au plaidoyer: l'experience d'une ONG humanitaire.

Doctors of the World France (Médecins du Monde, MdM) is an international humanitarian aid NGO working to support access to health care to vulnerable populations of the world excluded from these services. MdM has fixed two strategies to "cure and give witness," especially in light of the flagrant injustices lived by the populations they work with. Based on the need to improve the situation of these populations, and using the Anglo-Saxon model, the association wanted to take their strategy one step further by progressively developing advocacy actions in partnership with other organizations. This case study shows the different success obtained through advocacy actions in two campaigns: one against the World Bank's promotion of health systems' privatization in 1993 and another one for the increase in training of health care workers in the Southern hemisphere in 2006.