Flemish youngsters between 11 and 18 years old are experiencing more transgressive sexual behaviour, with one in three girls being inappropriately sexually touched at least once in 2022, according to Ghent University's four-year study of 20,000 young people.
As in the previous 2018 survey, over 1 in 5 young people (22.2%) say that they have had sexual intercourse. As expected, the number of young people who are sexually active increases with age: only 4% of 13-14-year-olds are sexually active compared with 42.5% of 17-18-year-olds.
One of the most striking findings from the study is the increase in reporting of transgressive behaviour. The proportion of young people who were non-consensually sexually touched at least once in 2022 was 26.3% – a notable increase from 18.9% in 2018. The proportion of young people who were forced into touching someone sexually rose from 6.9% in 2018 to 10.9% in 2022.
Boris Cruyssaert, spokesperson for Sensoa (the Flemish centre for sexual health) stated that figures were already on the rise in the previous survey, possibly "due to a greater willingness to discuss this among young people and adults since #MeToo in October 2017." However, it remains unclear whether these higher numbers are simply due to increased conversation and openness on the topic.
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Welfare Minister Hilde Crevits called for the need to remain "vigilant". She also stated that "the increased willingness to discuss [sexual behaviour] is important, so that young people feel able to report it."
The survey also explored young people's gender identity and sexual attraction for the first time. A small proportion of the target group (2.9%) identified as gender diverse. The majority of participants were heterosexual (88.2%), whilst 7.7% identified as being part of the LGBTQ community and 4.2% were not yet attracted to anyone.
