The issue of domestic violence towards women in Poland and Europe

Abstract

Introduction and objective Domestic violence is an issue constantly present in Europe, including Poland, despite it being condemned in our societies and creating special legal regulations. It may take form of multiple different behaviours, from physical violence to less obvious ones, such as sexual or economic, hence why it needs to be carefully monitored and the societal awareness improved. The aim of this study was to examine the scale of this problem in Poland and Europe by analysing available data. Material and methods The publication was prepared based on available literature on domestic violence and police registries and official statistics from the European Union. Results Creating statistics on the percentage of incidences of domestic violence towards women is complicated by legal and societal differences amongst Europe. Currently data on of cases of domestic violence towards women in Poland is collected based on the number of the initiations of the ‘Blue Card’ procedures – in the last 10 years it hasn’t dropped much. The most recent study reporting the scale of this issue in Europe has been conducted in 2014 and has explicitly shown that it’s a problem in all European countries. Conclusions Domestic violence towards women is an issue deeply connected to the patriarchal societal standards and results from gender based discrimination. This problem seems to be ignored considering the lack of changes in it’s scale and the deficiency of data representing it’s actual state is just making it worse. All European countries should make effort so ways of combating this issue could realistically help it’s victims.

Keywords

• domestic violence
• violence towards women
• intimate partner violence
• patriarchy
• counteracting violence