Domestic Abuse
How does domestic abuse affect the UK, Sweden, Greece and Spain?
Domestic abuse in the UK
According to research, domestic abuse affects as many as 1 in 4 women at some point in their lives.
Shockingly, around 2 women a week are killed by a current or former partner whilst approximately 10 women a week commit suicide to escape domestic abuse.
According to the UK government, domestic abuse is ‘any threatening behaviour, violence or abuse between adults who are, or have been, in a relationship or between family members.’
Similarly, Women’s Aid, the UK’s leading domestic abuse charity, defines domestic abuse as ‘physical, sexual, psychological or financial violence that takes place within an intimate or family type relationship and that forms a pattern of coercive and controlling behaviour.’
As both definitions show – domestic abuse doesn’t just include ‘violent’ behaviour – it often includes emotional abuse for example.
In the UK, domestic violence also includes practices affecting Black and Minority Ethnic communities such as forced marriage and ‘honour crimes’.
The vast majority of those experiencing domestic violence are women but men can be victims too, plus of course, domestic abuse affects other family members, especially children.
It is very important to remember that domestic abuse can affect anyone – irrespective of factors such as social class, lifestyle, nationality, ethnic group, religion or sexuality.
To find out more about domestic abuse in the UK, and what the UK Government is doing to tackle it, why not download the National Domestic Violence Delivery Plan?
Alternatively, for more information about domestic abuse in the UK please visit:
Download: UK Government’s NATIONAL DOMESTIC VIOLENCE DELIVERY PLAN ~ ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT 2008-09 PDF Format
Domestic abuse in Sweden
According to the Swedish Government’s action plan for combating men’s violence against women, Sweden is often seen as a pioneer in the gender equality field – but violence against women still remains a serious issue.
In Sweden, domestic abuse is typically seen as a widespread problem affecting the whole community, including men, women and children. In addition, the action plan defines domestic abuse as ‘a question of gender equality and women’s full enjoyment of all human rights to which every citizen is entitled’.
As well as men’s violence against women, the action plan specifically covers ‘honour’ related violence and oppression and violence in same-sex relationships.
In brief, the action plan calls for: increased protection and support to victims of violence; greater emphasis on preventive work; higher standards and greater efficiency in the judicial system; better measures targeting violent offenders; increased cooperation and coordination and enhanced knowledge and competence.
According to a recent report published by Sweden’s National Council for Crime Prevention, 1.8% of all women aged 16 to 79 said that they had been assaulted at some point over the past year. That’s a total of 60,000 women. An estimated 70% of that total were assaulted by someone they knew.
Every year, an average of 30 women die in Sweden as a result of violence and around 17 of these are killed by a man with whom they have or have had a close relationship.
Swedish research also shows that domestic abuse is rarely a one-off experience, almost a third of women who report that they have been assaulted by someone close to them lodge a further complaint with the police within a year.
As the action plan points out, domestic abuse statistics only reflect what has been reported to the police, a large number of cases still go unreported every year.
The action plan also outlines the cost of men’s violence against women. According to Sweden’s National Board of Health and Welfare, the cost equals around SEK 3 billion per year.
To find out more about domestic abuse in Sweden please visit:
Domestic abuse in Spain
Domestic abuse is no more prevalent in Spain than in many other European countries, but it has become a lot more visible in recent years and has undergone something of a cultural ‘shift’.
According to Red Feminista, a network of women’s groups in Spain, domestic abuse was traditionally viewed as a ‘private matter that had to be resolved at home’.
Attitudes began to change in the late 1990s following growing public outrage at the number of women who were dying at the hands of their partners or former partners – around 75 every year.
Since 2004, the government has put a lot of effort into tackling the problem with the result that domestic abuse continues to be a high profile political and social issue in Spain.
For example, the Spanish government has created around 500 ‘one stop’ courts specialising in domestic abuse cases, dealing with everything from restraining orders and child custody issues to the treatment of victims.
The government has also increased sentences for perpetrators.
According to the Institute for Women in Spain, there are an estimated 60,000 cases of domestic abuse every year, with only 42,000 being reported.
55 women died as a result of domestic violence in 2009, down from 76 in 2008.
In 2008, Spain created its first Ministry of Equality, including a Government Commission on gender based violence, dealing specifically with violence against women. Its main aim is to tackle domestic abuse by working with other government departments and public and private institutions – such as Spain’s Institute for Women. Spain also has an Inter-Sectoral Commission, which coordinates gender equality activities at a regional level.
In addition, Spain has an Observatory against domestic violence and gender-based violence, which coordinates the work of different ministries, commissions and institutes. It also monitors and reviews sentences and judicial decisions regarding violence against women and suggests legislative changes to help tackle domestic abuse.
To find out more about domestic abuse in Spain please visit:
Domestic abuse in Greece
According to the Council of Europe’s Stop Domestic Violence Against Women campaign, domestic abuse is a serious problem in Greece but tackling the issue is considered as a vital issue of priority by the Greek government.
Statistically, the levels of domestic abuse aren’t as high in Greece as in some other European countries but many people still regard domestic abuse as a taboo subject, which may mean that many cases go unreported.
As in other countries, Greek research has shown that anyone from any background can experience domestic abuse, or be a perpetrator. Domestic abuse isn’t linked to poverty or a lack of education for example. Interestingly, research has also shown that many women still don’t view domestic abuse as an abusive behaviour or they believe they are responsible for it in some way.
As a result, the Greek government believes that tackling domestic abuse, or internal violence as it is referred to in Greece, is fundamentally about promoting democracy and protecting basic human rights.
The governmental agency responsible for planning, implementing and monitoring policies related to equality between men and women in all sectors in Greece is the General Secretariat for Gender Equality. The agency also funds and supervises the Greek Research Centre for Gender Equality, KETHI.
One of KETHI’s main roles is to support women who have experienced domestic abuse, whilst raising awareness of the issue countrywide.
The Secretariat also works closely with the Government in Greece, other political parties, social bodies and women’s organisations. In 2006 a new law was adopted in Greece, known as Law 3500/2006, which has helped to redefine domestic violence as a specific crime in its own right. In addition, the new law also redefined marital rape as a punishable crime against the person and personal freedom. The new law has also given municipalities and communities in Greece greater powers to tackle domestic abuse at a local level.
In Greece, domestic abuse includes abusive behaviour which is sexual and psychological in nature, as well as physical violence.
To find out more about domestic abuse in Greece please visit:
