French authorities only convicted four people after 1.2m reported sexist insults in 2017

More than a million French women were forced to endure sexist insults in 2017 with only four convictions for breaches of sexual harrassment laws, a report has found.

The report by France’s High Council for Gender Equality (HCE) is the major first investigation into sexism to be carried out in France.

Sexist insults are described in the research as “daily violence” faced by women. The most frequently reported insults were “salope” (slut), “pute” (whore) and “connasse” (bitch).

But these experiences were found to be rarely reported to the police, with the report finding official complaints were filed in just 3 per cent of cases in 2017.

Sexism in France is “still prevalent, widespread and yet still very rarely condemned”, the report said.

Last year politicians approved legislation which introduced fines of up to €750 (£650) for wolf-whistling or sexual harassment on the street.

French president Emmanuel Macron said the legislation was introduced to ensure “women are not afraid to be outside”.

The move came after footage of a young French woman being punched in the face after confronting a man harassing her in Paris provoked fury around the world.

The assault was captured on CCTV and shared widely on social media – sparking a debate about sexual harassment and the treatment of women.

Marlène Schiappa, the French equalities minister said shortly afterwards: “It is not acceptable that in France, in 2018, women are hit in the street because they refuse to be insulted when they walk. It is a fundamental issue of liberty.”

The latest report found women represent the overwhelming majority of victims of sexist insults and most offenders were men.

The HCE called on the government to encourage increased awareness about sexism through campaigns and training, deliver greater support for victims and push for more convictions of perpetrators.

It also called for an annual poll of citizens to increase understanding of the scope of the problem.

“Sexism is not inevitable and it is not natural. It is a deadly ideology, which must be fought vigorously,” HCE president Danielle Bousquet said.

In 2016, a report revealed half of women in France opt to wear trousers rather than skirts when they take public transport to avoid having to suffer sexual harassment.

“It’s often in the Metro,” Chloe, a 19-year-old student in Paris told French newspaper Le Parisien. “The last time was three weeks ago: I got a comment that my trousers molded my buttocks. I did not answer so he called me a little slut.”