Recorded cases of domestic violence in Finland declined amid pandemic
Of adult victims, 75.2% were women; of all suspects, 78.1% were men.
Finnish police registered 10,800 victims of domestic violence offences in 2020, the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic, 1.2% less than one year before.
According to Statistics Finland’s data, in domestic violence and intimate partner violence directed at adults, one-half of the cases took place between married or cohabiting couples.
Of adult victims, 75.2% were women. Of all victims, 21.3% were minors. Of all suspects, 78.1 per cent were men.
The statistics include only the cases that have been reported to the authorities. "By no means all cases of domestic violence and intimate partner violence are reported to the authorities," the emphasizes the statistical office.
In all, 39.5% of the cases were between married or cohabiting couples, which is 2.9 percentage points higher than in 2019. Another 19.5% took place between former married or cohabiting couples.
In slightly 80% of these cases the victim was a woman.
Against children
Recorded domestic violence directed by parents against their children decreased: a total of 2,200 cases were recorded, which is 20.5% of all reported cases. Compared with 2019, the drop was nearly 400 cases, or 14.2 per cent.
In cases of violence between siblings, close on 600 cases were recorded, in which one in four victims were underage.
Of domestic violence and intimate partner violence directed at adults, around 75% were assaults and around 20% were menaces.
The share of sexual offences in domestic violence and intimate partner violence was close on 2%.