A Eurostat report on gender-based violence in the European Union (EU) reveals that 31% of women in the EU have experienced physical or sexual violence.

The report and accompanying podcast were released in observation of International Day for the Eliminiation of Violence Against Women on November 25, and are based on survey data collected in 2021.

Key Findings:

  • Age Disparities: 35% of women aged 18–29 reported experiencing gender-based violence, compared to 24% in the 65–74 age group.
  • Intimate Partner Violence: 18% of women who have had a partner experienced physical or sexual violence by their partner. When psychological violence is included, this figure rises to 32%.
  • Non-Partner Violence: 20% of women reported experiencing physical (including threats) or sexual violence by a non-partner, with 9% citing degrading or humiliating acts other than rape, 7% experiencing physical but not sexual violence, and 4% experiencing rape.

Country Results, Including Greece:

The report highlights significant variability between EU countries in the proportion of women who have experienced non-partner violence since age 15, including incidents of rape, degrading acts, and physical violence.

The incidents tracked include rape, degrading or humiliating acts other than rape, and physical violence.

Northern European countries reported the highest rates:

  • Finland (47%), Sweden (42%), Denmark (38%), the Netherlands (36%), and Luxembourg (34%).

In contrast, the lowest rates were observed in:

  • Bulgaria (6%), Poland (8%), and Czechia (10%).

In Greece, approximately 25% of women reported experiencing physical or sexual violence by a non-partner, with more than half of the cases citing degrading or humiliating acts other than rape.

Challenges with Gender-Based Violence Data

In a special podcast on the results by Eurostat, called Stats in a Wrap, Eurostat discusses the difficulties in gathering accurate data on gender-based violence.

  • Age and Culturally Related Social Norms: Social norms shape how different age groups interpret acts like degrading sexual behavior, potentially reducing their likelihood of reporting such experiences.
  • Recall Issues: Victims of incidents that occurred years earlier may struggle to recall details, lowering reporting rates.
  • Normalization of Abuse: Current victims often fail to identify their experiences as abuse due to societal normalization or psychological survival mechanisms.