Crime · 20 June, 2026 · 2 min read
France And Japan Confront Child Sexual Violence And Upkirtng, With New Laws And Data
Japan confronting growing upskirting crisis among minors; protective garment developed for Paris 2024. France's 2023 data: 36% of sexual violence victims were minors; rural areas hardest hit.
Measuring child sexual violence risk vs preventing voyeurism in sport.
2 of 3 outlets skipped it: interior Ministry figures show variation of victim rates by department..
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Same story, two versions
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One frames the problem geographically; the other frames it as technical prevention.
Minors targeted
In 2023 in France, more than a third of victims of sexual violence (36%) were minors under 15, and Le Figaro says rural areas are the most affected based on departmental figures on sexual violence against minors under 15.L
“In 2023 in France, more than a third of victims of sexual violence (36%) were minors under 15.”
Le Figaro reports that the Ministry of the Interior calculates the rate of child victims in each department, taking into account "All gravely serious offenses brought to the attention of the police and gendarmerie" including rapes, sexual assaults, and child pornography.L
CNN describes Japan as confronting a growing upskirting crisis among minors, and Ouest-France links the problem to infrared photos that can reveal athletes' underwear down to their shapes.O
Ouest-France says Japan enacted a law in July 2023 that sanctions the act of photographing or filming a person without their consent with up to three years' imprisonment, and it notes that since 2004 the gymnastics federation has banned cameras from its competitions. O
Laws and safeguards
Ouest-France says a one-of-a-kind garment developed by Sumitomo Metal Mining and Krodo Printing absorbs infrared light to protect athletes' privacy that could later be exposed on social media.O
The article adds that since the Tokyo Games in 2021, the Japanese Olympic Committee has launched a broad awareness campaign against these methods, and it says athletes from track and field, table tennis, and volleyball will wear this fabric at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games (July 26–August 11).
Le Figaro frames the scope of its data as including "Rape, voyeurism, corruption of a minor, child pornography" while excluding offenses that occur within the family.L
CNN’s report is presented as a response to upskirting among minors, while Ouest-France points to Japan’s July 2023 law and the gymnastics federation’s camera ban since 2004 as concrete measures against non-consensual recording. O
What’s at risk
Le Figaro says its departmental figures cover sexual violence against minors under 15 and include offenses such as "sexual exhibition, voyeurism, pimping" in addition to rapes and sexual assaults.L
“sexual exhibition, voyeurism, pimping”
Ouest-France says the garment is designed to combat voyeurism and that infrared photos can reveal athletes' underwear down to their shapes, raising the risk of exposure on social media.O
CNN’s focus on upskirting among minors underscores that the targeted group is minors, and Ouest-France ties the issue to Japan’s law that sanctions photographing or filming without consent with up to three years' imprisonment.
Le Figaro also says all gravely serious offenses brought to the attention of the police and gendarmerie are taken into account, including child pornography and corruption of a minor, as it seeks to gauge the scale of the problem across France. L