One in three women in the EU has experienced some kind of physical or sexual violence in their lifetime.
However, only 13.9% reported the incident or the threat of violence to the police.
More than half of the women (63.7%) shared the episode with a friend or a close person, and 20.5% contacted a healthcare or social service.
European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) experts suggest that many cases of gender-based violence may remain hidden in the data if not separated into factors such as sex, age, form of violence, or the relationship with the perpetrator.
“During this latest administrative data collection exercise, 26 out of 27 EU Member States were able to provide data on IPV and DV. Yet not all of them can share properly disaggregated statistics when indicators ask for them, meaning that women’s experiences of violence – even when reported – are not fully captured,” the EIGE report stated.
In EU countries that provide sex-disaggregated data, women account for 85% of victims of intimate partner violence in 12 member states, 76% of victims of domestic violence in 20 member states, and 47% of victims of violence from any perpetrator in 13 member states.
The lack of disaggregated data also does not show the fact that many incidents of violence are not isolated occurrences.
In the EU, 31.8% of women have experienced physical violence or threats and/or sexual violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime.
For most of them, this involved repeated incidents of violence (14.6%), while for 3.5% it was a single incident.
What is the EU doing to tackle this issue?
“What we have in terms of available and comparable data reveals only the tip of the iceberg,” said Carlien Scheele, EIGE Director.
Some EU countries have good data collection practices.
For instance, Germany publishes annual federal situation reports on domestic violence, which contain information on victims of violence committed by intimate partners and domestic perpetrators, by type of offence. Data within the reports is disaggregated by sex, age and offence.
Luxembourg also compiles annual statistics disaggregated by sex, age, and relationship between perpetrator and victim.
However, there is a lack of standard definitions and methods of data collection across the EU.
Starting in 2027, it will be mandatory for member states to collect data on an annual basis, based on common standards.
This initiative aims to lead to more effective policies and interventions to combat these issues and support victims.
“Data is our entry point into better understanding the nature and prevalence of gender-based violence in the EU,” added Scheele.
“But it can also give us an insight into why victims may not engage with the police or justice systems, reveal unreported cases and highlight the barriers that many women face in seeking formal justice. We must not forget these women.”
Video editor • Mert Can Yilmaz
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