Key findings and FRA opinions
Author | European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (EU body or agency) |
Pages | 18-32 |
Key findings and FRA opinions
Experiences of violence
Ë
Nearly one in 10 people (9%) in the EU-27 experienced physical violence
in the five years before the survey, and 6% experienced physical violence
in the 12 months before the survey. This corresponds to more than
22million people experiencing physical violence in one year in the EU-
27 (an estimate based on the results of the survey relative to the EU’s
population).
ËThese results include experiencing one or more of the four broad acts
of physical violence asked about in the survey: aperson slapping you,
throwing something at you, pushing you or pulling your hair; hitting you
once with afist or with something else that could hurt you; kicking or
dragging you, or beating you up; or trying to suffocate or strangle you.
Ë
The experiences vary by country within the EU, ranging from 3% to
18% experiencing physical violence in the five years before the survey.
Such Member State differences need to be looked at alongside official
statistics on police-recorded crime in each country (which is beyond the
scope of the current report), and alongside data on patterns in reporting
crime, which aspecific chapter in this report explores.
ËYoung people (16–29 years old) are at the highest risk of experiencing
physical violence, compared with people from other age groups, and
also compared with other socio-demographic characteristics that the
survey examines. Close to one in four people (23%) aged 16–29 years
experienced physical violence in the five years before the survey. In
other age categories, one in 10 people, or fewer, experienced physical
violence in the same time frame.
Ë
Other groups experiencing physical violence at ahigher rate than the
average for the entire population include people who consider themselves
to be part of an ethnic minority (22% in the five years before the survey);
people who self-identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or ‘other’ (19%); and
persons who have limitations in their usual activities due to ahealth
problem or disability (17%).
Violence is aclear violation of victims’ rights, in particular their human dignity
and their right to integrity (Articles2 and 3 of the Charter of Fundamental
Rights of the European Union (the Charter)). In line with the Victims’ Rights
Directive, avictim of violent crime should be recognised as the person
wronged by the offender, protected against repeat victimisation, granted
access to justice and enabled to participate in criminal proceedings. The
survey shows that asignificant number of people in the EU experience
physical violence every year. FRA’s violence against women survey supports
that finding, as do other FRA surveys that have focused on the experiences
of violence among groups such as immigrants and ethnic minorities, and
LGBTI people.
As the EU’s first strategy on victims’ rights (2020–2025) recognises, for the
most vulnerable victims, such as victims of gender-based violence, child
victims, victims with disabilities or victims of hate crime, it is particularly
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