Official statistics capture fewer than 10% of cases in which women experience violence from an intimate partner, according to an analysis comparing the European Union survey on gender-based violence with the number of officially reported incidents. The true scale of the problem may therefore be significantly greater.
The EU Gender-Based Violence Survey, known as EU-GBV, indicates that as many as one in five women has experienced psychological violence in a relationship, while one in nine has experienced physical violence.
Although women are generally aware of where they can seek assistance, they rarely report incidents to the police or support organisations. Many regard violence as a private matter that they should resolve themselves. Sexual violence remains particularly difficult for victims to acknowledge and disclose.
More than 5,000 women participated in the Polish survey
The European Union Gender-Based Violence Survey was financed and coordinated by Eurostat. In Poland, it was conducted by Statistics Poland between 2021 and 2023.
More than 5,000 women aged between 18 and 74 from all Polish regions participated in the survey. It formed part of a broader European study conducted in a total of 21 countries.
Some countries, including Poland, carried out the main survey exclusively among women, while others also included men.
“Women are significantly more likely to be exposed to violence from their partner than from strangers. This means that they experience it in an environment that should theoretically be safe and close to them,” Dr Anna Więcek-Durańska, a psychologist at the Maria Grzegorzewska University, told the Newseria news agency.
“The scale of the problem is enormous, and not all incidents are reported to the relevant institutions or support services. The survey results show that one in five women experiences psychological violence and one in nine experiences physical violence from a current or former partner,” she added.
By comparison, 7% of respondents had experienced physical violence from someone other than a partner, while 1% had experienced sexual violence from a non-partner.
Psychological violence takes many forms
Psychological violence can take a wide variety of forms. The women surveyed most frequently reported being demeaned, humiliated or insulted.
Other common behaviours included restricting contact with friends and relatives, jealousy, unjustified accusations of infidelity and excessive control.
Such behaviour was often intended to intimidate the victim. Partners shouted, destroyed objects or threatened to take away children, harm themselves or hurt other people.
The most commonly reported forms of physical violence included pushing, restraining and pulling hair. Less frequently, women reported having objects thrown at them or being slapped.
According to the EU-GBV survey, almost half of women who had experienced physical or sexual violence from their current partner suffered injuries such as bruising, a black eye, a bleeding nose or physical pain.
Around 40% suffered cuts, scratches or burns. For the vast majority, the physical injuries did not leave permanent marks. Psychological consequences, however, were reported by 63% of victims.
One in 29 women experienced sexual violence in a relationship
A total of 3.5% of women, equivalent to approximately one in 29 respondents, said they had experienced sexual violence in a relationship.
This was defined as an attempted or forced sexual act, or sexual contact that occurred because the woman feared her partner’s reaction.
One in 10 women who experienced this form of violence from their current partner became pregnant as a result of unwanted sexual contact.
“These figures are probably underestimated, and the actual scale of the problem is significantly greater,” Dr Więcek-Durańska said.
“Sexual violence within relationships is rarely discussed. In this survey, we are talking about situations in which women were able to acknowledge that they had experienced such behaviour. But what about those who are not ready to talk about it?” she asked.
Official records may reflect fewer than 10% of cases
The researcher emphasised that official records also significantly underestimate the scale of the problem.
The EU-GBV results suggest that fewer than 10% of incidents may be reflected in official statistics.
“Between 60,000 and 70,000 Blue Card procedures are initiated each year, but these only indicate that domestic violence is suspected,” Dr Więcek-Durańska explained.
“We also have statistics on convictions for abusing a family member. However, based on surveys conducted by Statistics Poland, an estimate suggests that approximately two million or even three million women in Poland who are currently or were previously in a relationship may have experienced violence,” she added.
There are several reasons why such incidents are not reported to the relevant institutions or authorities. According to the researcher, one of them is that violence may remain hidden or may not be recognised by the victim.
“These acts are extremely difficult to prove. Moreover, people who experience them often do not realise that what is happening to them constitutes violence,” she said.
Most victims do not seek help
Most women who experienced physical or sexual violence from a partner did not seek help, regarding the situation as a private matter.
More than 43% considered their experiences insufficiently serious to report them to the police.
Around 41% of victims were afraid to contact law enforcement because they feared the perpetrator. A similar proportion did not report the violence because of shame or because they blamed themselves.
“We must remember that violence is a process in which the perpetrator often acts in a way that makes the victim feel guilty or partly responsible for the aggressor’s behaviour,” Dr Więcek-Durańska explained.
“This is the source of the mechanisms associated with hiding the abuse or repeatedly returning to the relationship. A victim may feel ashamed to ask for help again after returning to a partner who uses violence,” she added.
The expert said that although support institutions and law enforcement authorities generally approach victims with empathy, cases of victim-blaming still occur.
Most women know where to seek assistance
The EU-GBV survey found that most women who reported violence to the police were satisfied with the response they received.
Awareness of organisations supporting victims of crime was also high. Nine out of 10 respondents knew about the nationwide Blue Line emergency service for people experiencing domestic violence and about specialist support centres offering free assistance.
However, awareness of available help does not necessarily lead victims to report violence or seek support.
“Because official statistics do not provide complete information about the scale of violence, it is extremely important that surveys such as the Gender-Based Violence Survey are conducted regularly,” Dr Więcek-Durańska said.
“This would allow us to adapt assistance more effectively to the needs of people experiencing violence,” the psychologist from the Maria Grzegorzewska University concluded.
