Up to one-third of Maltese women have experienced some form of repeated harassment since they were 15 – a relatively high percentage when compared with EU member states – according to the world’s largest survey on violence against women.
Respondents were presented with a list of incidents of harassment and stalking and asked whether the same person was responsible.
These incidents included examples of repeatedly receiving offensive material (such as by mail or through the internet), threatening or silent phone calls, instances where intimate photos of the victim were shared online, or cases where the respondent was repeatedly followed or where her property was tampered with.
The EU Agency for Fundamental Rights will unveil the findings of its survey in a conference in Brussels today, titled ‘Violence against women across the EU: abuse at home, work, in public and online’.
The agency interviewed some 1,500 women per country asking them about their experiences of physical, sexual and psychological abuse, including domestic violence.
Questions were also asked about incidents of stalking, sexual harassment, and the role played by new technologies in women’s experiences of abuse. In addition, the survey asked about respondents’ experiences of violence in childhood.
New technology’s part in abuse
Malta ranked below the EU average in all accounts, except for repeated harassment or stalking.
On average, 18 per cent of women across the EU have experienced harassment since the age of 15. This corresponds to some nine million women.
One in five women who experienced harassment said it lasted over two years. However, three out of four cases reported in the survey never came to the attention of the police.
According to the survey, 22 per cent of Maltese women have experienced physical and/or sexual violence since the age of 15. The perpetrator was either a current or previous partner, or another person.
The most common forms of physical violence involve pushing or shoving, slapping or grabbing, or pulling a woman’s hair. The women were also asked whether they were forced into sexual intercourse by being held down or hurt in some way.
The majority of women who are victims of violence do not report their experiences to either the police or any victim support organisation.
“This is a particular problem in those member states where discussion about and revelation of personal experiences of violence are not yet the norm,” the agency notes.
“As a result, most women who are victims of violence do not come into contact with the justice system and other services, which is exacerbated in those member states where violence against women is not mainstreamed as an area for policy intervention.
“It is therefore clear that the needs and the rights of women in the EU are currently not being met in practice.”
In Malta, between 30 and 39 per cent of women experienced psychological violence by a partner.
Among the questions asked to respondents were whether they were publically humiliated, forbidden to leave the house or locked up, threatened with violence, prevented from making decisions about family finances and from shopping independently and whether their partner got angry if they spoke to another man.
Twenty per cent of Maltese women experienced sexual harassment in the past 12 months.
Sexual harassment was judged on 11 criteria, including being told sexually suggestive comments or jokes, inappropriate staring or leering that made one feel intimidated, unwelcome touching or kissing, being asked intrusive questions about one’s private life and receiving sexually explicit e-mails or text messages.
On an EU level, the average stood at 21 per cent.
Sexual harassment was found to be more commonly experienced by women with a university degree and by women in the highest occupational groups.
Asked about childhood experience of any violence before the age of 15 by adult perpetrators, 23 per cent of Maltese women said they experienced physical, sexual or psychological violence.
The survey’s key findings at EU level:
• Thirty-three per cent of women have experienced physical and/or sexual violence since the age of 15.
• Five per cent of all women have been raped. Almost one in 10 women who have experienced sexual violence by a non-partner, indicate that more than one perpetrator was involved in the most serious incident.
• Forty-three per cent have experienced some form of psychological violence by either a current or a previous partner, such as public humiliation, forbidding a woman to leave the house or locking her up, forcing her to watch pornography and threats of violence.
• Fifty-five per cent of women have experienced some form of sexual harassment since the age of 15. Thirty-two per cent of all victims of sexual harassment said the perpetrator was a boss, colleague or customer.
• Sixty-seven per cent did not report the most serious incident of partner violence to the police or any other organisation.