Rape or abuse claims are often exaggerated by women, according to nearly half of the Maltese, who are the most likely Europeans to believe that women make up such allegations.
According to new EU data, approximately one in five Europeans hold victim-blaming views, agreeing that women invent or exaggerate claims and that violence against women is often provoked by the victim.
The Eurobarometer survey shows that 22 per cent of respondents agree that women often make up or exaggerate abuse or rape allegations, with figures varying from 47 per cent in Malta to eight per cent in Sweden.
The figures were released yesterday, ahead of 2017, the year dedicated to ending violence against women.
Malta’s EU Presidency will organise an EU-wide conference on violence against women in February
Commissioner for Gender Equality Vera Jourová wants 2017 to be a game-changer: “By the end of the year, I hope that any woman experiencing violence will feel comfortable reporting it to the police and will get the support she deserves.
“And I want everyone in Europe to agree that sexual intercourse without consent cannot be justifiable under any circumstances,” she said.
Yesterday, the world marked the day for the elimination of violence against women, and for this occasion, the commission launched a campaign focused on ending such violence.
These include a social media campaign with the hashtag #SayNoStopVAW and two calls for proposals, totalling €6 million, where civil society organisations will be encouraged to submit project suggestions that combat violence against women or support victims.
Ms Jourová said that the European Commission will also put this issue on the agenda, with Malta’s EU Presidency organising an EU-wide conference in February, among other events.
The commission will also organise a roundtable for representatives from the film industry at the next Berlinale film festival to encourage the industry’s engagement on the topic.
Asked about migrant women during a special video conference, Ms Jourová expressed concern about detention centres. When people are confined to small places in uncomfortable situations, women and children are always the ones who pay a high price, she said.
When it comes to refugees, apart from providing food and shelter, we needed to create a future for them in Europe, she said.
Recent discussions in Germany and France focused on how to provide women with jobs and education, because economic independence could help prevent women from ending up as victims of domestic violence, she added.
Violence against women is still a widespread phenomenon in the EU. Among women aged 15 and over, one in three has experienced sexual or physical violence, or both. One in five has experienced stalking and one in 20 has been raped.
Violence also carries important economic costs, estimated at €226 billion by the European Institute for Gender Equality, lost through missed work, health services, welfare and costs in the justice system.
The Eurobarometer study reveals a number of disparities between different member states in attitudes towards and perceptions of gender-based violence.
There are still states where there is considerable work to do in addressing perceptions about gender-based violence, particularly the idea that violence against women is often provoked by the victim or that women often make up or exaggerate claims of abuse or rape.
Respondents in Malta, Cyp-rus, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia are most likely to hold such views, with respondents in Sweden, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal and Finland least likely to.
Views on violence
37% of respondents in Malta say domestic violence against men is fairly common, after the UK (48%) and Ireland (41%).
People in Cyprus (54%) and Malta (57%) are the least likely to speak about it if they know someone who has been a victim.
Almost all surveyed in Sweden (97%), Germany and Malta (96%) have heard of support services for domestic violence victims.
Respondents in Italy (89%), Sweden (86%) and Malta (85%) say sexual harassment against women is common, compared to 32% in Estonia and 38% in Bulgaria and Latvia.
Maltese respondents (96%) are the most likely to say that violence against women happens in the home, while at the other end, 73% of Hungarians mention home.
Latvia (57%), Lithuania (45%) and Malta (40%) top the list of those who agree violence against women is often provoked by the victim.
Romanian respondents (25%) are the most likely to say that sexual intercourse without consent is justified if the person is wearing revealing, provocative or sexy clothing, followed by Hungary (21%) and Malta (20%).