Domestic violence data and figures

Violence against women is an old country of Romanian society, a social scourge that takes various forms – from the most subtle forms of emotional violence, to severe physical violence, culminating in crimes that shocked the world.

If you think that 1 in 3 women worldwide has experienced some form of domestic violence, it is very possible that you or someone close to you has gone through this and most of the time have not realized that it is abnormal what it happens to him or to tolerate these abuses. 

The only progress that has been made in the 30 years since the post-December transition has been to raise awareness of the phenomenon of violence among the population. Thanks to the campaigns carried out by NGOs, people have become more aware of the danger posed by the abuse of women and especially have begun to understand that domestic violence is no longer a private matter, which should not concern us. Informed people are beginning to realize that violence is out of the ordinary and should not be tolerated in any way – neither inside nor outside the family.

But from here to the reduction of the number of cases, there is a long way to go.

During the pandemic, especially in the isolation period, there was an increase in domestic violence, with 2.3% more complaints from women being assaulted by their life partners, according to the National Agency for Equal Opportunities between Women and Men (ANES). The same institution publishes monthly the information it records from the call center. For example, between July 1, 2021, and July 31, 2021, 608 calls were received to the nationally unique HELPLINE 0800,500,333 for victims of domestic violence, sex discrimination, and human trafficking.

Regarding the types of violence, the following were recorded:

• 122 acts of physical violence;
• 108 acts of psychological violence;
•    94 acts of verbal violence;
•  17 acts of social violence; 
• 5 acts of sexual violence;
• 4 acts of economic violence;
• 2 acts of cyber violence.

It should be noted that in the case of a call, several types of violence are usually reported.

Worldwide, WHO statistics for 2018:

• 1 in 3 women are victims of physical or sexual violence;
• Throughout their lives, 35% between women and girls are subjected to some form of physical or sexual violence, and in some countries seven out of ten women face such abuse.
• An estimated 133 million girls and women have been subjected to genital mutilation in the 29 countries of Africa and the Middle East, where this practice is very common.
•  More than 700 million women married before the age of 18, of whom 250 million were under the age of 15.

FRA – European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights announces that in Romania:

• 30% among women say they have been affected by physical or sexual violence at some point in their lives after the age of 15, averaging at European level;
• 24% of women in Romania suffered violence from their partner;
• 14% of women in Romania suffered violence from someone other than their partner.
• 24% of women in Romania say they have been subjected to physical or sexual violence by an adult before the age of 15;
• Psychological violence affects between 30 and 39% among women;
• 6% of women suffered sexual violence from their partner or another person, in 97% of cases of sexual violence the aggressor was a man.

Most women who admit to being affected by physical and sexual violence are in countries such as Finland, Denmark and Latvia, which indicates a high level of awareness of domestic violence among the population.