One in three women in Belgium is a victim of psychological violence
According to a recent study by the Flemish Office of Statistics, around one in three women in Belgium have been the victim of psychological violence. A smaller number of women have also experienced physical or sexual violence. According to the study, women from more socially deprived backgrounds are more likely to become victims.
The figures from the Flemish Office of Statistics show that the extend of violence against women in our society is far more widespread that many of us would have thought. 1 in 13 women in Belgium have been the victim of sexual violence. Meanwhile, 1 in 7 women have experienced physical violence and the hands of their partner. Around 30% of all women in Belgium have been victim of psychological violence.
The Flemish Office of Statistic’s study shows that sexual, physical and psychological violence are often linked. Women in a weak position (for example for economic reasons) or that are from deprived backgrounds are more likely to suffer abuse at the hands of their partner. The study also reveals that around one in five woman in Belgium have been the victim of some form of violence (physical, sexual, psychological,..) that was perpetrated by someone that they weren’t in a relationship with.
Regional differences
The study shows significant differences between the regions. In Flanders, 24.7% of the women surveyed said that they have been victims of some form of violence perpetrated by their partner. In the Brussels-Capital Region this was 33.7% and in Wallonia as many as 42.5% said that they had been victims.
In Wallonia (26.6%) and Brussels (28.1%) the percentage of women that said that they had been victims of incidents of violence perpetrated by someone other than their partner was around twice as high as in Flanders (13.2%).