Declining, but still too many. There were 172 minors who were victims of crime in Sardinia in 2025. This figure represents a 2.8% decrease compared to the previous year, bucking the slight increase recorded nationwide (+1%). The female prevalence of victims is confirmed on the island as well: 56.4% are female. The percentage rises to 84.4% for sexual crimes, which involved a total of 64 victims, including both males and females, equal to 37.2% of all crimes. The most common type of crime against minors remains domestic abuse: in Sardinia, there were 51 victims, 29.7% of the total.

The data, based on an analysis by the Criminal Analysis Service of the Central Directorate of Criminal Police, were made public by the Terre des Hommes Foundation and published in the Indifesa Dossier "The Condition of Girls and Young Women in the World" 2026, presented at the ANCI headquarters in view of the International Day of the Girl Child (11 October).

NATIONAL DATA: NEW RECORD WITH 7,272 VICTIMS

Crimes committed against minors in Italy in 2025 set a new record: 7,272 victims. While the increase compared to the previous year is limited—68 more victims, approximately 1%—the trend over the last 10 years has been markedly upward, with a 43% increase since 2015. In absolute terms, this represents an increase of 2,192 victims. By far the most common type of crime is domestic abuse, accounting for 3,008 victims, or 41.4% of the total. This is followed by sexual violence (881 victims) and aggravated sexual violence (664), which together account for 1,545 victims. The third most common crime is abandonment of minors or incapacitated persons, with 637 victims. Together, these categories account for 5,190 victims: 71.4% of the total. More than seven out of ten. The burden of abuse, sexual violence, and abandonment is therefore central to understanding the overall picture.

VICTIMS OF SEXUAL CRIME: CLEAR PREVALENCE OF FEMALE

Six out of 10 victims of crimes against minors are girls. Sardinia is in line with the national trend. The gender dimension of the phenomenon becomes even clearer when considering the seven sexual offenses: sexual assault, aggravated sexual assault, sexual acts with a minor, corruption of a minor, child prostitution, child pornography, and possession of pornographic material.

In fact, 2,024 of the 2,451 victims of sexual crimes are female, accounting for 82.6%. This represents more than 8 out of 10. Girls and young women represent 87% of the victims of sexual violence and 86% of those of aggravated sexual violence. They account for 79% of sexual acts with minors and 76% of child prostitution. They also account for 79% of the possession of pornographic material, 71% of child pornography, and 65% of the corruption of minors.

FAMILY ABUSE

The family, the place that should be the primary source of protection, continues to be, for too many children, the place where they experience violence, neglect, or abuse. Domestic abuse is the most widespread crime. In 2025, for the first time, the number of victims exceeded 3,000: 3,008, compared to 2,975 in 2024 and 1,442 in 2015. This represents a 1% increase compared to the previous year and a 109% increase compared to 2015. In ten years, the number of victims has more than doubled. For this type of crime, too, a steady increase in female victims has emerged over the past 10 years, albeit less markedly than for sexual crimes: in 2025, girls and young women accounted for 54% of victims.

(Unioneonline)

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