As seen above, Nordic countries lead the worst scores section, despite their commitment to gender equality reflected in their political agenda. Countries with low scores are Croatia, Poland and Austria and their apparently satisfying percentage translates into a shocking conclusion: 1 in 5 women are experiencing domestic violence. Regardless of awareness campaigns and funds destined for eradicating violence against women, the problem is still persisting.
The findings suggest violence against women across all EU states is widespread, affecting women from all walks of life and socio-economic brackets, the survey’s authors said. Some countries have higher levels of general violence than others. For example, more urbanization in a member state is generally related to higher crime rates, FRA said.