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. The violence may take the form of multiple different behaviours, from physical violence to the less obvious, such as sexual or economic, hence the need for it to be carefully monitored and awareness of society improved. The aim of the study was to examine the scale of this problem in Poland and Europe by analysing available data. Materials and method. The study was prepared based on available literature on domestic violence, 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 social differences in Europe. Currently, data on cases of domestic violence towards women in Poland is collected based on the number of the initiations of the ‘Blue Card’ procedures, and in the last 10 years it has not dropped appreciably. The most recent study reporting the scale of this issue in Europe was conducted in 2014 and explicitly shows that domestic violence is a problem affecting all European countries. Conclusion. Domestic violence towards women is an issue deeply connected to the patriarchal standards of society 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 the 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.