30% of women in Norway experience violence

Violence women UNArtwork for the UN Women interactive website, Violence Against Women: Facts Everyone Should Know. Image: UN Women

3 out of 10 Norwegian women experience violence

Nearly three out of ten Norwegian women have experienced violence in some form. The most vulnerable to violence are younger persons in their twenties or thirties.

 

Today is the UN International Day for the Abolition of Violence. On the same day, the Ministry of Children and Equality publishes statistics showing that 29 per cent of Norwegian women and 15 per cent of Norwegian men have been exposed to physical, mental, sexual or digital violence. This is revealed in the Sentio report «Knowledge of attitudes towards violence in the Norwegian population».

– This survey confirms the importance of conducting an international day for the elimination of violence against women. As long as women are exposed to violence, we can not call Norway an equal society, says Minister for Children and Equality, Linda Hofstad Helleland (Conservatives).

Psychological violence

Of the different types of violence mentioned in the report, the most prominent form is psychological violence. 21 per cent of women and 9 per cent of men have been exposed to this kind of violence. Physiological violence includes all ways of harming, scaring or violating anyone without reverting to direct physical contact, ie humiliation, ridicule, fake rumours et cetera.

The survey also shows that only half of the respondents believe that ridicule, humiliation and, for example, control over their finances are considerable as violence.

– I am worried that people do not have enough knowledge of violence and the consequences thereof. This survey reveals that many do not recognise mental abuse as being a form of violence. That is disturbing, as we know from research that mental abuse can be as harmful as physical violence, Helleland continues.

Prevention

The Cabinet Minister believes that working to prevent violence is one of the most important things to do.

– This Government has, therefore, implemented strong efforts in the health services and on violence and sexual abuse in the education of teachers, health and social workers. We have also launched a tool for the municipalities that will make it easier to talk about violence and abuse with children, she stresses.

At 6 pm today, Sunday, November 25th, a torchlight march will be arranged in Oslo from the Central station (Jernbanetorget) up to Eidsvoll Square, where a petition will be handed over to the President of the Norwegian Parliament. The main parole of the torchlight march is «Halt the rapes, jail the perps».

 

© NTB scanpix / #Norway Today

 

1 Comment on "30% of women in Norway experience violence"

  1. Joakim Haugen | 28. November 2018 at 23:07 |

    This is just blatantly falsifying of statistics. First of «psychological violence» is feeling insulted, women do this not men. «Digital violence» wow so an insulting comment online so where all men have this done to them, 3 of 10 women have.
    Guess what 10 of 10 men experience violence in relationships. The fact that falsifying these stats (mixing them all together) was needed to get 3 of 10 just show that this is a non existing problem in Norway. And gj on the torchlight march showing us all how insane they are!

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