LONDON – One in three women in Britain aged over 16 have been subjected to harassment in the last year, the British Office for National Statistics (ONS) said a report released Wednesday (Nov. 24).
The number rose to two out of three, for females aged between 16 and 34, said the ONS following a study into the lasting impact of violence against women and girls in Britain.
“An estimated 1.6 million women aged 16 to 74 suffered domestic abuse in England and Wales in the last year, and around 5.1 million women aged 18 to 74 were victims of some form of abuse as a child. Tragically, in the year ending March 2020, 81 women were killed in a domestic homicide,” the ONS said.
Police recorded crime data showed that in the year ending March 2020, 46% of all adult female homicide victims in England and Wales were killed in a domestic homicide.
Experiences of women and girls are sometimes hidden and are not limited to physical violence, including abusive treatment such as coercive and controlling behavior or exploitation, said the ONS.
“Violence against women and girls can have profound long-term effects on survivors and people close to them,” the ONS said.
Meghan Elkin, head of the ONS Centre for Crime and Justice, said the research found that the effect of these crimes on women and girls is significant and often long-lasting.
Of the women subjected to rape or attempted rape, around 63% reported mental or emotional problems, and 10% reported they had tried to kill themselves as a result, the ONS added. (Xinhua) – bny
