How common is domestic violence?
Swedish and international research both show that serious and repeated violence in relationships between heterosexual couples mostly concern men’s violence against women. Studies also show that men and women are subjected to different types of violence. Women are more often subjected to serious, repeated and controlling violence by a partner than men are. It is more common that men state that they have been subjected to psychological violence rather than physical violence. For moderate types of violence, men and women are subjected to a similar degree. Compared to men, it is more common for women to be subjected to sexual domestic violence.
In the national investigative study “Violence and health in Sweden. A National Prevalence Study on Exposure to Violence among Women and Men and its Association to Health” [Våld och hälsa – en befolkningsundersökning om kvinnors och mäns utsatthet för våld samt kopplingar till hälsa (NCK-rapport 2014:1)], the women stated to a much higher degree an exposure to serious sexual and psychological violence. C. 20 percent of the women and 5 percent of the men stated that they had been subjected to a type of serious sexual violence during their lives. 13 percent of the women and 4 percent of the men had been exposed before the age of 18. Further, 20 percent of the women and 8 percent of the men stated that as adults, they had been subjected to repeated and systematic violence by a current or previous partner. Concerning physical violence or threats of physical violence, 14 percent women and 5 percent of the men stated that they had been exposed by a current or former partner as adults.
Results also showed that few of those subjected to sexual violence had reported this to the police, and the majority of those exposed in childhood had not spoken of the events to anyone. The study showed clear connections between having been subjected to sexual violence and mental and physical ill health later in life. In addition to the immediate consequences of sexual abuse, it can thus also create long-term effects regarding health.
English Website
Links to other pages on domestic violence
Domestic violence (first page)
What is domestic violence?
What are the consequences of domestic violence?
What can you do as manager?
How do we proceed? Support from other actors
All information (pdf)