Understanding and addressing youth sexual coercion and violence as a threat to young people's sexual health in Europe

There is ample evidence that youth sexual violence is highly prevalent in many European countries, and that young people's sexual health is strongly endangered by it. The Y-SAV (Youth Sexual Aggression and Victimization) project has achieved the following main results:

1. An expert network has been established in which more than 130 members from 27 EU countries participate. The Y-SAV network consists of experts and stakeholders from different disciplines.
2. 27 country reports of each member state present Y-SAV related government policies, legislation, services and recent social scientific research on prevalence and risk factors.
3. The country reports have shown that variations in research methodologies and results have made it impossible to compare existing data across countries. The Y-SAV project developed and pre-tested a research methodology and guidelines to enhance harmonised data-collection on sexual aggression and victimization.
4. Stakeholder consultations were conducted in nine EU member states. The consultations produced recommendations to improve responses to youth sexual aggression at both the EU level and the level of individual member states.