Prevalence of violence in Finland: Alarming statistics highlight gendered violence and relationship abuse

By admin On Aug 26, 2023

LEHTIKUVA

A recent study conducted by Statistics Finland, titled “Gendered Violence and Relationship Abuse in Finland 2021,” sheds light on the disturbing prevalence of violence across the country. The study emphasizes that experiences of violence are pervasive, affecting both genders, and underlines the need for continued attention and intervention.

The study shows that the majority of women aged 16–74 and men aged 18–74 have encountered various forms of violence during their lives.

Overall, 57 percent of women and 46 percent of men have experienced some form of violence, including physical violence, threats, or sexual violence. Additionally, 34 percent of women and 18 percent of men reported experiencing similar violence from their current or former partners.

Although both genders experience violence, there are significant gender-based variations in the nature and frequency of the encountered violence. Further analysis reveals that women often face more frequent and severe violence, while men are more likely to experience isolated incidents. Notably, the study focuses solely on women and men; results related to gender minorities cannot be separately reported due to their limited representation in the sample.

The study underscores the sobering fact that violence has far-reaching consequences on the physical and psychological well-being of the victims. Notably concerning is the prevalence of children witnessing or experiencing violence from their parents, indicating a disturbing cycle of intergenerational violence. Childhood exposure to violence has been correlated with increased instances of violence later in life: one-third of all women and one-sixth of all men who experienced violence in their childhood went on to experience physical violence in their relationships.

Beyond romantic relationships, men tend to face physical violence, while women often become victims of sexual violence

Involvement in violent situations beyond romantic relationships is reported by nearly half of the population aged 15 and above—46 percent of women and 42 percent of men. Men typically encounter physical violence and threats, while women are more frequently subjected to sexual violence. The perpetrators of these acts are often unknown men or male acquaintances. Women experience more violence from family members, while both genders face violence from unknown individuals or acquaintances.

A significant portion of violence faced by women, both within and outside of relationships, is sexual violence.

“Serious sexual violence often leads to more severe physical and psychological consequences for the victims. Incidents of sexual violence are most common among women aged 16–34, with over half of them having experienced sexual violence at least once,” stated Senior Statistician Henna Attila.

Gendered harassment and violence also extend to the workplace and online environments

Over half of all women have experienced sexual harassment in the workplace, a phenomenon that is significantly less common among men. Women working in sales, retail, and healthcare professions report the highest rates of harassment, mainly from customers. The recurrence of these experiences is evident in ongoing cases of workplace sexual harassment, which women encounter more frequently than men. While women often experience weekly harassment, men face such incidents less frequently.

“Online harassment experiences also vary based on gender. Although men and women face online harassment at nearly equal rates, women are more likely to receive private messages containing harassment, while men are more likely to face public comments,” stated Research Specialist Marjut Pietiläinen.

“Pervasiveness of these experiences, coupled with their personal and emotional nature, impacts individuals and prompts changes in communication behavior, including avoidance of discussion, alterations in communication style, and cessation of engagement on certain platforms.”

Majority of violence remains unreported

Despite the prevalence of violence, victims often refrain from reporting their experiences to authorities. Depending on the type of violence and the perpetrator, only about one in ten victims report violence to the police. These figures remain relatively unchanged from previous years’ research. Due to the limited number of reported cases, it is evident that a significant portion of experienced violence remains unreported, underscoring the need for regular population-level studies to comprehend the extent of gendered and relationship violence.

The comprehensive findings from the study “Gendered Violence and Relationship Abuse in Finland 2021” can be accessed through the Statistics Finland website.

Experts will be available for inquiries from August 23, 12:00 PM onwards.

Source: www.helsinkitimes.fi