One in eight women in Spain have suffered domestic violence

ONE in eight women in Spain have suffered gender-based violence at some point in their lives, a new study has revealed.

The new Macro-survey on Violence Against Women 2015 revealed that 12.5 per cent of women aged 16 and over living in Spain have suffered some form of physical or sexual aggression at the hands of their partners or ex-partners.

The results of the study, presented by Health, Social Services and Equality Minister Alfonso Alonso, also revealed that 77.6 per cent of victims manage to overcome the effects of abuse and create new lives for themselves.

Alonso stressed that the number of women who manage to overcome the effects of abuse has increased since the last study, carried out in 2011, and launched an appeal for society to continue supporting women to leave abuse behind.

The investigation, in collaboration with the CIS Sociology Investigation Centre, was based on interviews with 10,171 women in Spain aged 16 or over.

The survey revealed that 25.4 per cent of women have suffered psychological abuse, 21.9 per cent emotional abuse and 10.8 per cent financial abuse, all lower than the European averages of 35, 32 and 12 per cent respectively.

Gender Violence delegate for the Spanish government Blanca Hernandez explained that 67.4 per cent of women end relationships due to violence, yet only 26.8 per cent of victims are believed to report cases to the authorities.