Violence against women does not always begin in adulthood. In many cases it has its roots in childhood, in family or relational contexts where there should instead be protection.
This is shown by the third survey on women’s safety conducted by Istat between March 2025 and January 2026, which for the first time analyzes the relationship between violence suffered before the age of 16 and violence experienced subsequently. The picture that emerges confirms the existence of a “intergenerational transmission of violence“, that is, a link between the traumatic experiences experienced as children and a greater exposure to the risk of violence throughout life.
According to the data collected, 14.9% of women between 16 and 75 have suffered at least one form of physical or sexual violence before the age of 16: this is 15.3% of Italian women (around 3 million) and 11.4% of foreign women (over 244 thousand).
When violence starts as a child
The violence suffered during childhood occurs mainly at the hands of people known to the victim. They are therefore not episodes mainly linked to strangers, but often develop in familiar environments or in any case close to the child. Among Italian women, 13.5% declare having suffered physical or sexual violence before the age of 16 by at least one known person, including family figures and relatives. Among foreigners the share is 11.2%.
Parents represent one of the most frequently indicated figures: 3.9% of Italians and 4.3% of foreigners report violence suffered by a parent, in particular a father or stepfather.
Sexual violence before the age of 16 affects 8.2% of Italian women, just under 1 million 650 thousand people, and 3.4% of foreign women, approximately 72 thousand 700 women.
The episodes are mainly concentrated between the ages of 11 and 16, but a significant share also concerns younger girls: 8.2% of Italian victims have the first episode before the age of 6.
One of the most significant data from the survey concerns the link between past and present: among women who have not experienced violence in childhood, the share of those who declare having suffered physical or sexual violence as adults is 31.9% among Italians and 27.4% among foreigners.
But the data changes profoundly for those who have already suffered violence as children: in this group the percentage rises to 57.2% among Italians and 56.8% among foreigners. An increase which, according to Istat, highlights how the experiences experienced during childhood can represent an important factor of vulnerability throughout life.
Witnessed violence
It’s not just the violence directly suffered. The survey also analyzes witnessed violence, that is, the fact of growing up in an environment where violence, humiliation or aggression between family members is observed. 10.4% of women declare having witnessed verbal or physical violence between parents or acts of denigration towards brothers and sisters during childhood.
And living in a climate of violence increases exposure to other forms of abuse: among women who witnessed both verbal and physical violence as children, almost half of Italians and just under a third of foreigners report having themselves suffered physical and/or sexual violence during childhood.
The humiliations and unwanted contacts
The investigation also reveals forms of violence that are often less recognised, but capable of leaving profound consequences. 4.3% of Italian women and 4.6% of foreign women say they have often or always suffered humiliation and denigration before the age of 16. In the case of Italians, the mother is more frequently indicated as the author, while among foreigners the role of the father emerges more.
As regards sexual violence, the most widespread form concerns unwanted contact in the intimate areas of the body, suffered by 7.2% of Italians and 2.8% of foreigners. A particularly significant fact concerns the silence that often accompanies these experiences: over 58% of victims of sexual violence suffered as children have not spoken about it to anyone.
The Istat data therefore provide a picture in which violence against women cannot be read only as a phenomenon of adulthood. The experiences lived in the first years of life, especially within the family, can affect future vulnerability and contribute to creating paths of violence that are repeated over time.
Intervening must therefore mean not only protecting those who suffer violence today, but also recognizing the signs as soon as possible in the contexts in which girls and boys grow up, interrupting those mechanisms that risk accompanying the victims throughout their lives.
