One in three EU women face violence, most cases unreported, survey finds

By Charlotte Van Campenhout

BRUSSELS, March 3 (Reuters) – Physical and sexual violence affects roughly a third of women in the European Union during their lifetime,  but most incidents go ​unreported, a survey revealed on Tuesday.

The results of the ‌survey, conducted by the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) and the European Institute for Gender Equality, showed that only 11.3% of women reported physical or sexual abuse by non-partners to the police, and just 6.1% reported violence ‌by ​intimate partners.

Common reasons for not reporting ⁠violence included shame, self-blame, fear, ⁠and distrust in law enforcement. Limited awareness or access to support services also emerged as contributing factors.

About 30.7% of women across the bloc said they had experienced violence, a slight ​decrease from the 33% recorded in the first such survey in 2012. The study also highlighted other widespread forms of ⁠abuse, including psychological, economic, and online ⁠abuse.

“Violence against women is a fundamental rights violation,” ​FRA Director Sirpa Rautio said. “Member states have clear obligations to prevent ​violence, protect victims and ensure access to justice, and ‌these findings show there is still urgent work to do.”

‘NORDIC PARADOX’

Prevalence rates varied significantly, ranging from 57.1% in Finland to 11.9% in Bulgaria.

Finland’s Nordic neighbours, known for high gender equality,  also showed ⁠high levels of violence, with 52.5% of women in Sweden and 47.5% in Denmark experiencing violence, while lower-equality countries to the south show ⁠more complex reporting dynamics.

This ‌disparity, termed the “Nordic paradox”, could reflect actual ⁠variations in women’s experiences or contrasting reporting behaviors ​and ‌different perceptions of violence related to sexual encounters ​between countries, ⁠according to researchers.

FRA’s first survey on violence against women in the EU in 2012 showed the same paradox.

The new study drew on interviews with nearly 115,000 women aged 18 to 74 carried out between September 2020 and March 2024.

(Reporting by Charlotte Van Campenhout, edititng ​by Andrei Khalip)