Determinants of Sexual Violence against Tunisian Sportswomen (Case of the GAFSA Region, Tunisia)

The issue of sexual violence against sportswomen of different ages in the sports environment remains largely overlooked. The absence of the subject “sex education†in the primary school curriculum could be a main reason. The main objectives of our research is to understand the sexual violence in the context of the Tunisian culture as a gender social aspect. Also, due to the lack of studies that deal with this subject. an exploratory study is necessary to determine the extent of the phenomenon in Tunisia to understand it and to prevent it. Our hypothesis is that under-aged sportswomen who happen to be less educated and specialized in individual sports are more likely to be subjected to sexual violence. Through a questionnaire carried out on sportswomen aged from 14 to 30 years old in southern Tunisia, the results reveal that 68% of the sportswomen concerned by the study declared having suffered at least one case of sexual harassment in a sports environment. The age effect shows that sexual violence affects both minors and adults, but those who were minors at the time of the incident are much more vulnerable to such violence (85%). The average age at the time of the incident is 13.78 years old. In other words, the age group most affected by sexual violence is between 13 and 18 years of age. However, these acts occur regardless of the intensity of sports practice. No individual or collective sports discipline is immune from these acts. The results also make it possible to question representations of this phenomenon, however, with regard to the least educated sportswomen. This research is aimed at shedding light on, understanding and preventing this phenomenon in the Tunisian sports environment in order to review the strategy of university in high institute of sports for future educators, (teachers, coaches, managers, etc.) In this perspective, the highlighting of the important role that could be played by sex education in the school curriculum.