One in three women across the EU report having experienced some form of physical or sexual abuse since the age of 15, according to a major survey

One in three women have reported some form of physical or sexual abuse since the age of 15, in a major survey published on Wednesday that attempts to assess the extent of violence against women across the European Union (EU).



The report by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA), Violence against women: an EU-wide survey. is based on 42,000 in-person interviews with a randomly selected sample of women across the 28 EU member states. Jane Martinson writes today:



Violence against women is “an extensive human rights abuse” across Europe with one in three women reporting some form of physical or sexual abuse since the age of 15 and 8% suffering abuse in the last 12 months, according to the largest survey of its kind on the issue, published on Wednesday.

Women were asked about their experiences of physical, sexual and psychological violence, including incidents of intimate partner violence (domestic violence), and also asked about stalking, sexual harassment, and the role played by new technologies in women’s experiences of abuse. The report found that one in 10 women had experienced some form of sexual violence since the age of 15, and one in 20 had been raped.

Physical and/or sexual violence by a partner or a non-partner since the age of 15. Photograph: /FRA

The EU-wide survey attempts to address and respond to the issue of “a lack of comprehensive data on the scale and nature of the problem.” However, as Jane Martinson writes: “campaigners to end violence against women advised caution in reporting country-wide differences, given different levels of awareness of what constitutes abuse.”

Among the findings in the report are:

One in 10 women have experienced some form of sexual violence since the age of 15, while one in 20 has been raped

One in five women have experienced some form of stalking since the age of 15, with 5% having experienced it in the 12 months preceding the survey.



However, three out of four stalking cases reported in the survey never come to the attention of the police

One in 10 women have been stalked by a previous partner

Of women in the survey who indicate they have been raped by their current partner, about one third (31%) say they have experienced six or more incidents of rape by their partner

Just over one in 10 women experienced some form of sexual violence by an adult before they were 15

Most violence is carried out by a current or former partner, with 22% of women in relationships reporting partner abuse



As well as looking at the extent of physical and sexual violence experienced by women, the report also looks at the consequences of the violence. Looking at long-term psychological consequences of violence, researchers found that victimisation by partners or other people led to victims suffering from a loss of self-confidence, leaving them feeling vulnerable and anxious, with victims of sexual violence often suffering from a higher number of psychological consequences.



FRA have created an interactive data explorer allowing users to examine the survey findings. The tool lets users see the results of the report across a range of categories including violence in childhood and opinions, attitudes and awareness.

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