Key findings and FRA opinions

• Author: European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (EU body or agency)
• Pages: 18-32

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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

22million 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: aperson slapping you,

throwing something at you, pushing you or pulling your hair; hitting you

once with af‌ist 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 aspecif‌ic 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 ahigher 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 ahealth

problem or disability (17%).

Violence is aclear violation of victims’ rights, in particular their human dignity

and their right to integrity (Articles2 and 3 of the Charter of Fundamental

Rights of the European Union (the Charter)). In line with the Victims’ Rights

Directive, avictim 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 asignif‌icant 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